Giants sign undrafted free agent who the league missed out on
Despite what many believe, the hours after the draft are some of the craziest of the weekend for teams, players, and media alike. That's because as soon as Mr. Irrelevenat is selected, the undrafted free agent pool opens up. Oftentimes, players that were selected in the last two rounds would actually prefer to be undrafted […]
Despite what many believe, the hours after the draft are some of the craziest of the weekend for teams, players, and media alike. That's because as soon as Mr. Irrelevenat is selected, the undrafted free agent pool opens up.
Oftentimes, players that were selected in the last two rounds would actually prefer to be undrafted free agents, since just like regular free agency, the prospects fresh out of college now have their pick of the litter when it comes to choosing their destination.
These players play a significant role many times, with nearly 30 percent of the league being made up by undrafted free agents. With that said, let's examine one free agent that New York signed, potentially leaving the rest of the league kicking themselves.
Tommy DeVito, QB
DeVito spent the first four years of his college career at Syracuse before transferring to Illinois where he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes, (absurd) and threw for a career-high in passing yards.
Here is what Dane Brugler of The Athletic had to say about DeVito:
Thomas “Tommy” DeVito was born in Livingston, N.J. and was a two-year starting quarterback at Don Bosco Prep. As a senior captain, he passed for 2,005 yards and 16 touchdowns. A four-star recruit, DeVito was the top-ranked player in Syracuse’s 2017 class and became the starter in 2019. He battled injuries and decided to transfer after losing his starting job. DeVito joined Illinois in 2022 and posted career bests across the board, leading the Illini to an 8-5 record. Although he takes too many hits on his body, he competes with admirable toughness to stand tall in the pocket and play through pain. He is timely in his reads and puts the ball out in front of receivers to let them make plays away from defenders. His footwork and arm slots become unglued when pressure forces platform changes. Overall, DeVito showed improved pocket feel and downfield touch in 2022, but an NFL career requires more consistency than what he has put on tape thus far.
The Giants certainly have one of the league's best backups in quarterback Tyrod Taylor, but that doesn't mean the team can't prepare for a long-term solution. The best organizations do two things very well. They plan for the future and they invest in the backup quarterback position.
New York should know this better than most, considering they share a division with the team that follows those principles better than anyone by way of the Philadelphia Eagles. Maybe the Giants are taking a page out of their book, and just maybe it will pay off.
