New York Giants 4th practice takeaways: Evan Engram bouncing back, Austin Mack excelling, Julian Love blossoming

The New York Giants enjoyed the fourth practice of intense training camp on Thursday afternoon. After a physical first few days, they took a more relaxed approach on Wednesday but got right back into it on Thursday with wide receivers and cornerbacks facing off in physical drills.

To start the takeaways, undrafted free agent Austin Mack has consistently been shining during camp. Hauling in a nice catch from Colt McCoy, Mack also buried Corey Ballantine in goal-line drills earlier this week. Ballentine seemed to be injured after the vicious hit, but he managed to finish practice and escaped any significant injuries.

Mack, who has average qualities across-the-board, has a ton of upside for development after spending most of 2019 injured with the foot element. He has good strength off the line of scrimmage against press coverage and smooth route running but will need to take a step forward in the NFL. These training camp learning sessions allow him to develop nicely and take to the NFL style. Last year with Ohio State, he hauled and 27 receptions for 361 yards and three touchdowns.

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The ever-revolving door of Evan Engram:

Evan Engram is another player that has been standing out during training camp. After going down with a midfoot sprain that required surgery last season, Engram has rehabbed ferociously and is now ready to take a step forward.

Head coach Joe judge was excited about his learning capabilities and his attention to detail. Hopefully, his blocking can improve, and he can become a more well-rounded tight end. Nonetheless, when healthy, is one of the best pass-catching options at the position in the league. Second-year quarterback Daniel Jones will enjoy having him when available.

The Giants waived kicker Chandler Catanzaro in favor of Graham Gano, who has had a successful career up to this point. A season-ending injury finished his 2019 campaign, but he hit 6-for-6 field goals on Thursday in practice.

Of course, practice is one thing, and doing it in the game is an entirely different goal. However, he has the experience to do it in live-action, and it is motivating to see him succeeding so far.

One player that everybody’s excited to watch is Julian Love. Despite playing corner at Notre Dame during his collegiate career, Love has made the transition to safety. Having enjoyed reps in the deep half of the secondary and closer to the line of scrimmage in his rookie year, Love is developing nicely with the Giants. His utility value makes him a supplemental piece for several defensive positions, but I imagine coordinator Patrick Graham will have no choice but to start him in specific sets due to his success in practice.

Pairing love with Xavier McKinney and Jabrill Peppers will give the Giants a three-headed monster at safety, which far exceeds any optimism we’ve had the position in several years.

PENALTY LAPPERS:

Ask for penalty labs, Kevin Zeitler, Shane Lemieux, and Tae Crowder all ran laps for individual consequences.