New York Giants: UDFA Derrick Dillons could become next explosive kick returner

The New York Giants landed a bevy of undrafted free agents after the 2020 NFL draft, one of them being LSU wide receiver Derrick Dillon. Dillon is an explosive runner, despite being used lightly in the LSU offense in 2019, catching 15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Dillon is small but has elite speed, running a 4.29 40-yard dash.

His strengths are limited to short-area quickness and pure speed, but he could develop into a quality special-teams player. He has the tenacity to block well but also displays effort in all facets of the game. He lacks the necessary strength to dominate as a pass-catcher at the NFL level, but he could be a fantastic kick returner for Big Blue.

The current wide receiver unit for the Giants consists of Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Corey Coleman, and several other fringe roster players. These include Binjimen Victor, Austin Mack, David Sills, Da’Mari Scott, Cody Core, and Alex Bachman.

While Dillon has a tall task ahead of him to earn a spot on the roster, I believe he has the explosive running ability to return punts potentially. The Giants have failed to find a consistent threat in the return game, and Dillon’s elite speed gives him a leg up on other players. With the number of injuries the Giants have sustained in recent years, they cannot depend on active players on both sides of the ball to also return kicks.

While new head coach Joe Judge is keen on maximizing his players at different positions, we saw how that panned out with Jabrill Peppers returning punts in 2019, as he suffered a season-ending hip injury.

Aside from returning punts, the Giants have Cody Core as a primary gunner on the defensive punt team, which could open up an opportunity for Dillon to carve out a role in that same way.