Giants rookie Saquon Barkley has already impressed head coach Pat Shurmur. And he's far from the only person to praise the No. 2 pick.

Hall of Famer Curtis Martin called Barkley "one of the best runners I've seen." Brandon Jacobs said the former Penn State running back "the total guy." Giants GM Dave Gettleman said he had Hall of Fame potential when the team drafted him.

And Barkley's current teammates are impressed, too.

Giants CB Eli Apple is embarrassed yet grateful. 

His embarrassment stems from a sophomore season that saw tumult, both on and off the field. He threatened to leave the team facility after players and coaches called out his effort in a film session, was caught tweeting while on the sideline during a game, and eventually caused enough distraction and trouble in the locker room that teammate Landon Collins called him a "cancer."

Looking back now that a new season is upon him, Apple knows that 2017 just wasn't his year...

The Giants kicked off their first of 10 OTAs on Monday, and Big Blue took the field to shake off the rust of the offseason and get ready for their 2018 campaign. 

One of the big stories heading in was how quickly 2018 first-rounder RB Saquon Barkley will fit into new head coach Pat Shurmur's offense as well as find chemistry with veteran QB Eli Manning. 

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Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. has arrived at the Giants' facility for OTAs Monday, per ESPN's Dianna Russini. 

It was reported earlier that Beckham was expected to show up for the voluntary OTAs last Friday. He was also present for all three days of the Giants' offseason workout program in late April.

Last season, Beckham was one of two players ( DE Olivier Vernon) to not show up for OTAs before the start of training camp. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell broke his silence about the legalization of sports betting that the United States Supreme Court voted in favor for on May 14.

This enormously impacts the professional sporting world as Congress could now regulate sports betting if they wish to do so. However, if they elect not to, each State is allowed to act on its own in implementing their own system.

No matter what happened, Goodell's top priority is making sure that the integrity of the game continues to flourish moving forward with the ruling...

What can't Odell Beckham Jr. do?

We've seen the Giants star wide receiver show off his dunking ability on the court and his soccer skills on the pitch. On Friday night in Anaheim, Beckham displayed what he can do at the plate as he bashed a long ball over the left center field wall at Angels Stadium during batting practice. 

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Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will reportedly attend voluntary organized team activities on Monday, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson.

Beckham showed up to all three days of New York's voluntary minicamp in late April, practicing for the first time since undergoing season-ending ankle surgery last year.

When the Giants' 6th all-time leader in sacks is asked what the team needs, can there be any surprises when he says pass rushers?

Justin Tuck believes the 2018 iteration of the Giants could use a few more players who do what he did, but he has hope that third-round draft pick Lorenzo Carter can be what the team needs. 

"They need more pass rushers," Tuck said...

Giants QB Eli Manning had a tough time getting any offense from his 2017 squad that went 3-13 last season. It also didn't help that the balls he got off in the pocket before it collapsed weren't caught. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Manning had the most dropped passes among qualifying quarterbacks last season with 43. The closest players to him are the Raiders Derek Carr and Chargers Philip Rivers, who both at 35 drops. 

Before the 2017 season began, this was a stat that didn't look to have Manning at the top of the list. He had Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall, and rookie TE Evan Engram to work with.

Janoris Jenkins isn't giving up his Dez Bryant-to-Giants campaign.

Jenkins tweeted again on Tuesday, hinting to the Giants that the free-agent wide receiver would make the team's offense even scarier than it looks already on paper...

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Former Giants offensive lineman and two-time Super Bowl champion David Diehl sees an entirely different Giants team this year.

And though they were one of the leagues' worst at 3-13, Diehl is confident the new pieces this season will generate more wins. 

"You're going to be looking at a completely different offense," Diehl told NJ.com's Matt Lombardo. "Now you have Saquon Barkley, to Will Hernandez, to Nate Solder, and now coming back with a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., you're looking at a dangerous offense that can do a lot of things."

The Lions claimed T Adam Bisnowaty and the 49ers claimed DB C.J. Goodwin after both players were waived by the Giants on Monday.

A lawsuit that alleges Giants quarterback Eli Manning committed memorabilia fraud was reportedly settled, ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith reports.

The Giants, Manning and Steiner Sports are alleged to have falsely provided non-game-used helmets for sale as certified game-used helmets. The plaintiffs' lawyers uncovered an email last year that Manning sent to the team's equipment director in 2010 when he asked for two helmets "that can pass as game used."

Giants QB Eli Manning is excited to start working with his new running back. But he has some words of wisdom to the 22-year-old. 

Barkley, the Giants No. 2 overall pick, already has tons of spotlight on him. And Manning knows well that the spotlight shines at all times, which is why his advice to Barkley is to learn how to say no. 

"Just be ready to handle this whirlwind of New York. You're going to be pulled every different direction. You gotta learn how to say 'No,' " Manning told SNY's Justine Ward at last Tuesday's BTIG Charity Day. "Say the words, 'No.' Understand you got a job to do and that's learn the playbook, get in here, and being a great teammate and learning the guys. Obviously, he's got a new family and a little baby now. So make sure you have everything in order to handle your business."

Giants T Ereck Flowers has reportedly showed up to the team's facility Monday morning for the first time this offseason, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Flowers missed the team's voluntary offseason training program, and fellow teammate Landon Collins said it was due to the fact that he is switching to right tackle following the signing of veteran LT Nate Solder. 

"He just unhappy that they picked up [Nate Solder]," Collins said. "That's it."

The United States Supreme Court struck down a 25-year old law on Monday that had basically prevented all states except Nevada from having legalized sports gambling. "The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make," the Supreme Court announced. "Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own."

The ruling was an enormous immediate victory for the state of New Jersey, which could have a gambling venue open in Monmouth Park within a few weeks, according to the NY Post. There will be a press conference in Monmouth Park Monday at 1 p.m. Aside from New Jersey, The Post notes that New York and Illinois are among roughly 15 other states who have "introduced bills to legalize and regulate sports betting tied to the Supreme Court outcome." 

The NBA and MLB have been preparing for Monday's potential outcome, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who said each league had hired lobbying firms, submitted written statements, and sent executives to testify in statehouses. Windhorts added that every professional sports league had been involved, with the NBA and MLB at the forefront...

Giants 2018 third-rounder LB Lorenzo Carter has reminded everyone of the team's 2017 second-rounder DT Dalvin Tomlinson. It isn't their on-the-field play, but instead, what they play off the field. 

Tomlinson was known as the Renaissance Man for his extracurricular activities off the field that included playing a few instruments. Carter is the same way as he dabbles with the cello and tubs among others. 

"In elementary school, fifth grade, I started to play the cello and it stuck with me," Carter told reporters after the Giants' rookie minicamp over the weekend. "I love the sound of wood instruments, and I just fell in love with classical music."

The Giants have waived CB C.J. Goodwin, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Goodwin was awarded to the Giants off waived from the Cardinals just last week. However, after signing veteran CB Chris Lewis-Harris, the Giants decided to let him go. 

Goodwin played for both the Cardinals and Falcons last season, where he totaled nine tackles over 14 combined games. 

A trial will begin on Monday in the memorabilia fraud case surrounding Eli Manning and the Giants.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The players were not in pads, the contact was limited and there was no tackling at all. That makes it hard to evaluate anyone, particularly a running back like Saquon Barkley.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - More than a decade ago, Tom Coughlin stormed into the Giants' offices vowing to restore "Giants pride". And while Pat Shurmur hasn't exactly stormed into the building, he's on a similar mission: To restore the "Giants way"

Those are basically the same things: A reminder of the need for players to be professionals, to treat people with respect -- lessons he began teaching the rookies and tryout players at the rookie mini-camp this weekend. Shurmur, like Coughlin before him, believes there is simply a right way to do things...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Landon Collins revealed what seemed obvious last week, that the reason Ereck Flowers is skipping the Giants' offseason program is because he's "unhappy" with the team for replacing him at left tackle with free agent Nate Solder. That had long been everyone's assumption anyway.

Still, Giants coach Pat Shurmur wishes Collins had kept that to himself.

"Yeah, well that's not for Landon to talk about," Shurmur said Saturday morning during Day 2 of the Giants' rookie mini-camp. "I think the important thing is let's let Ereck talk for Ereck when he gets here and we'll worry about that later. Really, I don't think our players should be talking about another player's situation."...

Will Hernandez is affable and polite off the field but when he puts on the no. 71 Giants jersey this season, he'll turn into a completely different person.

Hernandez, Giants 2018 second-round draft pick, is proud of that personality change. At Giants rookie minicamp, he was all smiles as he talked about being nasty.

"It's kind of a split personality deal," Hernandez said...

RB Paul Perkins has cleared waivers and remains on the Giants reserve/non-football injury list. He will not take up a spot on the 90-man roster.

Perkins was waived by the Giants earlier this week. SNY's Ralph Vacchiano reported last month that Perkins needed surgery after suffering a torn pectoral muscle while working out on his own before the offseason program.

The Giants never announced a timetable for Perkins' recovery, though Vacchiano noted that -- depending on the extent of the tear -- the general recovery timetable is four-to-six months. 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The old theory on how to develop young NFL quarterbacks was to throw as much as possible at them right from the beginning. Coaches wanted to see how much they could handle and to get them used to feeling overwhelmed.

"In a former life, way back when, what you did with the rookies -- this was like shock treatment," Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said on Friday. "You blew them up physically, emotionally, mentally and then by the time Monday came around, they're like, 'Holy smokes.'"

Anyone who remembers Eli Manning's first rookie mini-camp with the Giants knows that approach could lead to short-term disaster, even though coaches were sure it fostered long-term success. Regardless, when it comes to new Giants quarterback Kyle Lauletta, Shurmur's approach this weekend at the Giants' rookie mini-camp figures to be much different than that...

RB Saquon Barkley took the field on Friday for the first time as a Giant.

Click below to see him in action...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There has been no easing of Saquon Barkley into the spotlight by the Giants, not when GM Dave Gettleman has already hyped him as a Hall of Fame-caliber player who has been "touched by the hand of God." That is a heavy load to place on the 21-year-old's shoulders.

But to Barkley, the second overall pick in the NFL draft, the weight of Gettleman's words and expectations don't feel like a big deal at all.

"I'm so happy that I have a guy that believes in me and believes in my talent," Barkley said. "But it's not really expectations he set for me. It's something he saw on film. He believes in me. He believes I can achieve that one day...

Saquon Barkley has heard the words of those who said taking a running back No. 2 was too high. And he explained to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano what makes him such an offensive threat.

"I'm not just a running back," Barkley said. "I'm not just a guy that's gonna line up in I formation and bang his head -- I'll do that if I have to, if that's part of the game plan. But I'm a guy that can run inside, outside, catch the ball out the backfield. You can line me up in slot, pass-block. Whatever it takes, I'm willing to do." 

Barkley also spoke with Vacchiano about the Hall-of-Fame expectations being placed on him, and the potential of the Giants' offense. Watch the full conversation below... 

Giants QB Kyle Lauletta, who the team selected in the fourth round (108th overall) during last month's NFL Draft, is looking forward to picking Eli Manning's brain and will "definitely lean on him" as he adjusts to the pros and learns the new playbook. 

"I don't know if there's one specific thing," Lauletta said about what he most wants to learn from Manning. "The way he interacts with his teammates, the way he commands his team, the way he plays his position."

Lauletta said he has already met Manning, who congratulated him and welcomed him to the Giants. And Lauletta echoed his head coach Pat Shurmur when he said he believes Manning has "years left" in the league. 

The Giants signed three mid-round draft picks and 11 undrafted free agents ahead of rookie minicamp.

Second-round pick Will Hernandez, an offensive lineman from UTEP, third-round linebacker Lorenzo Carter of Georgia and fourth-round quarterback Kyle Lauletta of Richmond all signed their rookie deals on Friday, the team announced.

Carter's deal will be for four years and include $1.049 million in guarantees, SNY.tv's Ralph Vacchiano reported on Thursday

The Giants have signed third-round (66th overall) pick Lorenzo Carter to a four-year deal with $1.049 million guaranteed, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed.

Carter will earn $480,000 in 2018, followed by $665,000 in 2019, $851,000 in 2020, and $1.036 million in 2021. 

Carter attended Georgia for four seasons, where he totaled 166 tackles (21.5 for loss) and 14 sacks. His senior season was his best year in college, with 62 combined tackles (8.5 for loss), 4.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries.

The Giants have waived RB Paul Perkins with a non-football injury designation, the team announced Thursday.

If Perkins clears waivers, he can be placed on IR. The 23-year-old rushed 41 times for 90 yards in 11 games last season.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive: This could be a sad end to what once looked to be a promising career for Paul Perkins, a fifth-rounder the Giants took out of UCLA in 2016. When they drafted him they were convinced they had a steal. It was only a matter of time until he was going to be a dominant feature back...

Calling Odell Beckham Jr. a generational talent, former teammate Rashad Jennings said Beckham has every right to try to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

"Go for it. Why not? Why shouldn't he go for that? He's arguably the best receiver in the game," Jennings told SNY's Larry Ridley. "He's young, he's got a lot of future ahead of him. Go chase it. He's one player that -- he's a generational guy."

The Giants can slap the franchise tag on Beckham for 2019, 2020, and 2021 if they so choose, and while he's deserving of a contract extension, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano recently explained why the Giants shouldn't be in a rush to acquiesce to his demands. 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

He is already considered a "gold jacket" player in the eyes of the man who drafted him, and if that wasn't enough, Giants GM Dave Gettleman said Saquon Barkley is so good he's been "touched by the hand of God."

That's a lot of hype, which is why so many expect him to put on a dazzling display - even on Day 1...

Former Giants DE Justin Tuck still refers to his former team like he is putting the pads on next season.

Tuck, a Giants Ring of Honor member, used "we" and "us" when asked questions about the Giants upcoming season. And, of course, one of those questions was about the team's No. 2 overall pick in RB Saquon Barkley. 

Tuck approves...

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

Odell Beckham Jr. is back on the good side of the Giants organization again after that brief and silly trade scare back in late March. They're even back to acknowledging he is part of their future, and John Mara promised that at some point Beckham's much-anticipated contract extension "will get done."

But that doesn't mean it'll happen now or in the immediate future. Even Mara admitted to feeling no "sense of urgency" to strike a deal. The contract, he said on Tuesday night, "will get done when it's supposed to get done." And that's fine. Everybody should relax because there shouldn't be a sense of urgency...

It takes one to know one. 

Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin has nothing but high praise for the Giants' new RB Saquon Barkley, who idolized Martin growing up a Jets fan. 

"I think he'll be a really good fit," Martin told Newsday's Tom Rock.  "If I were the Giants, that's probably the pick that I would have made. I think he'll be a great addition to the team. I think he's a unique weapon for Eli to have because he's as good a receiver as he is a running back as you're going to get coming out of the backfield, and he's one of the best runners I've seen."

Giants co-owner John Mara is remaining hopeful that the team will be able to come to terms with WR Odell Beckham on a new contract.

Former Giants QB Phil Simms loves what he has seen from GM Dave Gettleman and the rest of the Giants organization. And what he sees is a team in win-now mode.

The Giants could have easily set themselves up for life after Eli Manning by selecting Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, or Josh Rosen with their No. 2 overall pick. Instead, they went with dynamic RB Saquon Barkley -- a player that will make an immediate impact next season. 

Barkley was only one of Gettleman's moves that prove he wants his team in a win-now state. Simms likes that mindset.

For those who didn't vote for Giants DT Damon "Snacks" Harrison in the NFL Top 100 this year -- good luck. 

It appears that Harrison, who was No. 96 on the 2017 Top 100 list, won't make it this season as the latest installment of the list (No. 80-71) didn't include him. 

Well, it is safe to say that Snacks doesn't appreciate it after warning "every lineman we play this year" that he will have no mercy. 

In the latest release of the NFL Network's Top 100 players, Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. ranked No. 77 on their list. 

Beckham may have ranked No. 8 overall before the start of the 2017 season, but after playing in just four games last season due to an ankle injury, he saw his ranking fall significantly.

Though he fell, Beckham's stats up until this point in his career are still worthy of a Top 10 ranking. Since entering the league, he is second only behind Antonio Brown in touchdowns (38). He has also topped 1,300 yards in each of his first three seasons. 

By drafting running back Saquon Barkley second overall in the NFL draft, the Giants have another threat on offense, and quarterback Eli Manning is looking forward to working with the rookie.

"You like those three-down running backs," Manning said, according to NJ.com's Ryan Dunleavy. "I haven't watched a whole lot of film on him. You've got to let him get here and earn his (stripes) a little bit. I know he is very talented. I'm just excited to get him in the facility and on the practice field and work with him."

Looking to further market Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. more, Nike has filed a trademark for his new logo. 

Beckham's logo features his "OBJ" intials warped together into one. 

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The Giants cleared some space on their roster ahead of their rookie mini-camp this weekend, cutting five players, including safety Ryan Murphy who played in three games with them last year.

Murphy, a special teamer, was the only one of the five who had gotten a game for the Giants. They also cut guard Damien Mama, whom they signed off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad last Dec. 23.

The other three were receiver Caanan Severin, running back Terrell Watson and punter Austin Rehkow.

Though the Giants' offensive acquisitions this offseason have generated the most talk, Big Blue hasn't been stingy bolstering their defense either. 

The Giants were in need of a veteran presence in their linebackers room after the departures of Devon Kennard and Jonathan Casillas, and one of GM Dave Gettleman's first moves was to trade for LB Alec Ogletree. At 26, Ogletree has five NFL seasons with the Rams under his belt, where he recently wore the headset as the defense's playcaller.

Ogletree will likely be paired with B.J. Goodson, who wore the headset for the Giants as the MIKE linebacker last season. However, Goodson could only call out plays in limited time due to injuries. This season, though, Goodson is hoping to show the Giants the potential they saw when he was drafted in the fourth round back in 2016.