Damon Bankston | Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs
The New York Giants formally introduced the signings of seven undrafed free agent rookies on Friday morning, the primary day of the staff’s three-day rookie rookie minicamp.
Signed have been:
Anquin Barnes Jr., DT, Colorado
Damon Bankston, RB, New Mexico
Ben Barten, DT, Wisconsin
Thaddeus Dixon, CB, North Carolina
Ben Mann, LS, Boston Faculty
Ryan Schernecke, OL, Kutztown
Dominic Zvada, Ok, Michigan
These signings convey the Giants roster to the offseason restrict of 90 gamers, together with unsigned draft picks Arvell Reese, Francis Mauigoa, and Colton Hood. The Giants trimmed 4 gamers from the roster on Thursday. Any tryout gamers the Giants want to signal after this weekend would necessitate additional roster strikes.
Let’s look shortly at every UDFA signed by the Giants.
Anquin Barnes
In a profile of Barnes, Chris Pflum wrote:
Barnes Jr. has the traits to be an actual discover and a UDFA gem if he can study to complete his rushes. Because it stands now, his disruption and skill to open holes for the Giants’ hyper-athletic linebackers might make Barnes Jr. a participant to look at this summer time.
The Giants have revamped their defensive position this offseason. The signing of D.J. Reader and the choice of Bobb Jamison-Travis in Spherical 6 of the 2026 NFL Draft would possibly make it troublesome for Barnes to discover a spot on the 53-man roster. Apply squad doesn’t appear out of the query.
Per Spotrac, Barnes acquired no assured cash in his three-year undrafted free agent contract.
Damon Bankston
Bankston would appear like competitors for Eric Grey and Dante Miller for a spot on the apply squad. Chris wrote:
Bankston is an undersized runner at 5-foot-10, 196 kilos, however his body belies a tenacious runner. Bankston is a short-striding runner which limits his high velocity a bit (not that his 4.43-second 40 is sluggish by any means), nonetheless he seems to be a “quicker than fast” runner on the sector. He runs with quick, uneven steps and unimaginable stride frequency which permits him to hit high velocity in a rush, in addition to lower on a dime. Bankston has good imaginative and prescient and the type of contact steadiness you’d count on from a participant together with his pure leverage, which mixed together with his quickness and agility to resemble one thing like a water beetle. He’s in a position to make defenders miss in a phonebooth, continuously skittering from gap to gap and bouncing off of would-be tacklers.
Bankston can also be receiver, with 31 catches for 397 yards (12.8 per catch) and three touchdowns. He had 10 complete touchdowns final 12 months, 5 speeding, three receiving, and two on kickoff returns.
It isn’t stunning, then, that Bankston’s actual worth comes as a returner. He returned 12 kicks at New Mexico, racking up 434 yards (36.2 per return), and the aforementioned pair of touchdowns. Given the modifications to the NFL’s kick-off guidelines, it behooves groups to have harmful choices at kick-off returner. The alternatives shall be there for return sport to arrange the offense, and even create game-changing scores on particular groups.
Within the Soccer Gameplan Draft Information, Emory Hunt wrote:
Strengths:
Fluid runner with the ball, in a position to match like a glove with thedesign of the run play. Particularly with reference to outsidezone/stretch performs.
Good lateral agility that helps him bounce throughout gaps in therun sport. He’s in a position to make an environment friendly lower whereas stillworking up area.
Easy within the open area to the place he has the unassumingspeed to drag away from defenders.
Works nicely inside the inside of the OL, discovering creases.
Areas of enchancment”
Go safety has to enhance if he desires to maintain a roleas an each down again versus a spot man.Assertiveness and execution is the place the expansion wants totake place.
Damon Bankston is a RB prospect within the 2026 draft class. He scored a 8.13 RAS out of a doable 10.00. This ranked 425 out of 2268 RB from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/YsK1v58Obp pic.twitter.com/6JChHWvpTv
— RAS.soccer (@MathBomb) April 2, 2026
Ben Barten
Barten is one other undrafted nostril sort out candidate because the Giants search to seek out a number of methods to exchange Dexter Lawrence.
Barten has good dimension, however a lower than stellar athletic profile:
Ben Barten is a DT prospect within the 2026 draft class. He scored a 5.83 RAS out of a doable 10.00. This ranked 859 out of 2059 DT from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/tkij9Wu049 pic.twitter.com/kSNiIYRXDK
— RAS.soccer (@MathBomb) March 12, 2026
NY Giants UDFAs: Can DT Ben Barten match into the Giants’ defensive position?
Barten acquired simply $2,500 in assured cash in his UDFA contract.
Thaddeus Dixon
The Giants hosted Dixon for a pre-draft ‘30’ go to, and pounded when he went undrafted. They assured the North Carolina cornerback $282,500, a full seasons apply squad wage and a $35,000 signing bonus.
Chris known as Dixon a “player to watch” this summer time.
In his draft information, Hunt wrote:
Strengths:
Does a extremely good job of attacking downhill when he seesbackfield motion or a fast move to the perimeter. Ready toshrink that area right away.
Good total athleticism, very Gumby-like bendiness towhere he can twist and contort his physique to dip beneath oraround blocks to make a play.
In a position to leverage the ball nicely, performs with size and is ready tohold it down on both facet of the secondary, whilst a slotdefender. Performs with an incredible perspective and confidence.
Areas of Enchancment:
Tends to play excessive, each in his backpedal and in protection.Doesn’t give him the very best likelihood to essentially explode out ofhis break and has him, at occasions, a beat too late to make asignificant play.
The Giants are something however settled relating to the final couple of cornerback spots on the 53-man roster, so maybe Dixon has an opportunity.
Ben Mann
The truth that Mann was signed as an undrafted participant and never merely invited to rookie minicamp on a tryout foundation tells you that the Giants should not merely handing the long-snapping job to journeyman Zach Triner, who snapped in only one NFL sport final season.
Mann acquired a $10,000 signing bonus in his UDFA contract, one other signal the Giants imagine he has an opportunity.
NY Giants UDFAs: Can Ben Mann exchange Casey Kreiter as lengthy snapper?
Ryan Schernecke
This can be a participant greater than half the league was fascinated by all through the method, and one other whom the Giants gave a full $282,500 in assured cash.
Schernecke’s school coach, Jim Clements, beleives he has a robust likelihood to make the bounce from Division II to the NFL.
“He might have seen a pretty good situation, where the Giants are. Obviously everyone wants to be better up front, but he thought maybe, hey, this is a spot where I can grow, get better,” Clements stated. “It’s a new offensive line coach. It’s a new system. John Harbaugh’s in town. I think Ryan fits in that wheelhouse, what he [Harbaugh] was doing at Baltimore, and that’s what he wants to bring to New York. I think he’d be a really good fit, good project.”
Schernecke performed each sort out spots at Kutztown, and can also be believed to have guard flexibility.
“The Giants are investing in him and have a plan for him and a vision for him,” Clements stated. “Whatever their plan and vision is for him, he’s going to exceed that. I don’t know what that is for them. I don’t know where they see him, but whatever they expect, they’re going to be more than happy what they get because he’s going to exceed that.”
Can Giants UDFA OT Ryan Schernecke make the leap from DII Kutztown to the NFL?
Dominic Zvada
The Giants are bringing the gifted however inconsistent former Michigan kicker in to compete with Ben Sauls and Jason Sanders. The Giants gave Zvada a $145,000 signing bonus
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic instructed Large Blue View Zvada is perhaps the most probably UDFA to make the 53-man roster.
“Dominic Zvada from Michigan was one of the kickers who I thought had a chance to be drafted,” Baumgardner stated. “Large 10 kicker of the 12 months in 2024. Wasn’t pretty much as good final 12 months. missed just a few extra I feel, however I feel he solely missed one area purpose in 2024 they usually used him a ton. So he’s actually good. He can be one which I wouldn’t be stunned.
“I don’t know exactly what their kicking situation is there, but he is a very good player. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s someone who makes some noise.”
