Thumbnail Profiles of Giants’ 15 Workout Visitors

The New York Giants players are off for the weekend, but the front office and coaching staff are still on the lookout for additional talent that can potentially help reinforce shaky spots on the team, such as cornerback depth and returner. The latter is especially shaky given the uncertainty regarding veteran Gunner Olszewski and his dealings with a groin issue.

As such, the Giants hosted 15 players in addition to veteran cornerback Adoree Jackson, who was in for a physical and who, if all goes well, could be a signing. 

Here is a look at the other players reported to have been part of the workout.

S Al Blades Jr.: Blades played his college ball at the University of Miami (Florida) before finishing up at Duke in 2023. He went undrafted this year and signed with the Jets. Blades’s father Al had a stint with the 49ers and his cousin, H.B. Blades, was a member of the Washington Commanders. Blades also is the nephew of former wide receiver Brian Blades (Seattle) and Bennie Blades (Detroit). He finished his college career having appeared in 61 games, mainly as a cornerback. He recorded 140 tackles, four interceptions, and 24 pass breakups.

WR Kaden Davis:  Davis, 6-1 and 193 pounds, was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Northwest Missouri State in 2022, where he played for two seasons.  His other NFL stops include stints with the Cardinals in 2023 and the Lions, with whom he was with this summer. Davis, who has kickoff return experience, finished with five receptions for 96 yards (19.2 yards per reception) and one kickoff return for 19 yards this summer with Detroit.

WR Alex Erickson: One of the older participants of the group, the 31-year-old Erickson has eight years of NFL experience, having played with the Bengals, Texas, Panthers, Commanders, Jets, and Chargers. Erickson was the NFL kickoff return yards leader in 2016 while with the Bengals (810 yards) and has 112 career receptions for 1,373 yards. Erickson has a career kickoff return average of 24.8 yards (110 career kickoff returns), and has punt return experience, having returned 162 punts for 1,303 yards (8.0 average).

CB Eric Garror: Garror, 5-8 and 174 pounds, appeared in 12 games last year for the Titans (and then defensive coordinator Shane Bowen), with whom he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana. A cornerback by trade who can also contribute snaps at safety, Garror also has punt-return experience from his college days, having returned 96 punts for 860 yards.

CB D.J. James: James was drafted by the Seahawks in the sixth round of this year’s draft after a college career that included three seasons at Oregon and two at Auburn. The 6-foot, 170-pound James had 24 pass breakups and five interceptions over his college career.  James allowed eight receptions on nine pass targets during the summer and allowed two touchdowns for a coverage rating of 145.1.

CB Kyu Blu Kelly: The Ravens selected Kelly in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Stanford. The 6-0, 193-pounder, the son of former NFL cornerback Brian Kelly, who played from 1998-2007 with the Bucs before finishing his career with the Lions in 2008, appeared in eight career games for three different teams last season, including the Seahawks, Packers, and Washington, the latter with whom he spent training camp this year.   

CB Jason Maitre: Maitre went undrafted out of Wisconsin and signed with the Dolphins. In 2023, he played in 12 games, recording 33 tackles (24 solo) and three pass breakups. Maitre spent one season with the Badgers; prior to that, he spent five years at Boston College.

CB Zech McPhearrson: McPhearrson was the Eagls fourth-round pick in 2021, out of Texas State. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound McPhearrson played in 33 games over two seasons with one start and has 30 tackles and two pass breakups. 

QB Chris Oladukun: Oladukun was a seventh-round pick by the Steelers out of South Dakota State in 2022. After failing to catch on with the Steelers, the 6-1, 213-pounder signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad, where he spent most of the last two seasons.  

LB Andrew Parker: Parker signed as an undrafted rookie free-agent linebacker with the Jaguars out of Appalachian State. Standing 6-2 and tipping the scales at 235 pounds, PArker played in 55 career FBS games, including 26 at App State (24 starts). He finished with 206 tackles over his college career and was named to the All-Sun Belt first team. 

OT Julian Pearl: Pearl, 6-6 and 325 pounds, played his college ball at Illinois as an offensive tackle. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens and was also selected as the sixth overall selection by the Michigan Panthers in the 2024 UFL draft on July 17.  

LB Yvandy Rigby: Rigby was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Temple. The 6-2, 230-pounder appeared in three preseason games and had 17 tackles in three preseason games, including nine in pass coverage.  

WR David Wallis: Wallis signed as a tryout candidate with the Patriots following a career at Division III Randolph-Macon College. The 5-11, 183-pound Wallis appeared in 13 games as a senior, recording 53 catches for 957 yards (18.1 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns. Wallis returned kickoffs and punts for the PAtriots this preseason–he posted four punt returns for 47 yards (11.8 yards average) and had seven kickoff returns for 202 yards, a long of 53, both of which led the PAtriots this summer.  

CB Damarion Williams: Wiliams, 5-10 and 180 pounds, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Ravens in 2022. Nicknamed “Pepe,” Williams appeared in 14 games as a rookie, contributing 24 tackles. Last season, he only appeared in one game, and didn’t record any stats on defense, his appearances limited to special teams, where he played just 19 snaps. He was waived by the Ravens as part of their cuts to get to the 53-man roster limit this month.. 

CB A.J. Woods: Woods signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old stands 5-11 and weighs 186 pounds. In two preseason games for Washington, he recorded six tackles (five solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, and two quarterback hits.