New York Giants rookie linebacker Jack Kelly is making noise in training camp, and it’s the kind of buzz teams love to hear about a Day 3 pick.
Kelly arrived with some real momentum behind him after critics, including The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, praised the selection in April. That kind of attention usually comes when a late-round pick starts looking less like a lottery ticket and more like a player who can matter right away.
On Saturday, Giants writer Matt Citak reported that Kelly ran “step for step” with Calvin Austin III on a deep route. Kelly not only broke up the pass, but he nearly came away with the interception. That’s no small thing considering Austin clocked a 4.32 40-yard dash at the 2022 combine.
Kelly’s college path helped build the case for why this might be working. He started at FCS Weber State before transferring to BYU after the 2023 season, and he made the move count quickly. Over two years with the Cougars, he piled up 15 sacks and 23 ½ tackles for loss, and he was one of only 17 FBS players with at least 10 sacks last season.
“With his explosive speed and [competitive] skills, Kelly likely wasn’t a hard sell in the war room,” Brugler wrote in April. “He’ll be a special teams dynamo from day one and will push for defensive snaps early in his career.”
The Giants also have a track record that makes this kind of player worth watching. John Harbaugh’s history of getting the most out of late-round and undrafted talent in Baltimore is well known, and Michael Pierce and Patrick Ricard, who joined the Giants this offseason, both turned into regulars after going undrafted.
For now, Kelly looks like someone who could keep climbing. The preseason is less than two weeks away, and the signs point to him getting plenty of snaps across the three-game exhibition slate.
The fact that he’s already getting notice on the Giants’ official website says plenty about how much of an impression he’s making. If this keeps up, Kelly could become a preseason name fans hear over and over again.
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Giants Just Sent Another Message About A Roster Battle In Camp
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The move comes as New York keeps searching for the right mix of younger players who can stick through camp and into the season. The group also included D.J. James, a 2024 sixth-round pick of the Seahawks who later spent time on the Patriots' practice squad, and the rest of the workout list offered the kind of fringe talent teams often cycle through this time of year. For the Giants, it is another quiet but clear reminder that no spot at the back end of the roster is being handed out yet. [Read more 🡒]