Day 1 of the New York Giants rookie minicamp was an overall success.
Rookies who were drafted, signed as undrafted free agents, or simply invited to the minicamp got to hear from Michael Strahan and work with the Giants’ coaching staff to understand the differences between the NFL and collegiate games. Of the Giants’ seven draft picks, four were selected to speak with the media after practice on Friday.
Defensive tackle Darius Alexander, selected with the first pick in the third round, played college football at Toledo. While there, he played for four different defensive line coaches and improved each year under a new coach.
That’s no easy feat; every coach is different and will require you to play slightly differently than another coach. Alexander adjusted his mindset and made himself coachable.
“For me, it was just being able to buy into what my coaches was teaching me,” he said. “Whatever I did learn before, don’t bring that to the table with them, learn their drill, learn their work ethic, how they want me to work, pursue my things out there, and then maybe I could go back and add those little things that I had in my game before I added them into my game. But more than anything, just believe in your coaching and trust in the plan that they got for you.”
Given how that played out, and despite having offers from other schools with NIL opportunities, Alexander remained at Toledo. He admitted it was tempting to get those offers, but it was more important to him to remain at Toledo and finish his career the right way with his teammates. He “didn’t want to chase money” and doesn’t always believe the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
“I wanted to chase the goal to play in the NFL and win another championship in the MAC and finish it the right way with my teammates and my brothers,” Alexander said.
He understands why players want to explore NIL deals, “But for me, I just want to stay true to myself and stay where I was at.”
Alexander clearly has a solid foundation under him; he’s focused on the right things and not the nonsense. He was also given the No. 91 to wear, and he understands the significance. He hasn’t heard from Justin Tuck yet, but he knows he’s wearing the number of one of the greatest Giants’ defenders ever.
Tuck holds the record for the most quarterback hits (120) over his career.
If Alexander plays his cards right and does well, that number might become permanent.
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