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OTA practice notes and observations (5/30)

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Giants.com brings you an inside look at Tuesday's OTA Practice:

On Tuesday the Giants held their fourth of ten Organized Team Activities (OTAs) which will continue for the next two weeks until mandatory minicamp wraps up the offseason program the week of June 12. This is Phase Three of the offseason program. Contact is still prohibited.

•  Tight end Evan Engram was lining up all over the field. The Giants know he spent a lot of time split out wide in college, and he has been there a bunch during OTAs. He has also been seen on the line of scrimmage and motioning in the backfield. He will give the Giants a lot of formational variety with their personnel groups.

•  Running back Paul Perkins wasn't used a lot as a receiver as a rookie (he had 15 catches), but in practice today he showed his hands with a nice catch on a ball from Eli Manning on the sideline.  

•  On a similar play later in practice, linebacker Devon Kennard locked up Perkins on the sideline, and Manning had nowhere to go with the ball. It was good coverage for a player who isn't often asked to play that role.

•  Quarterback Geno Smith looked sharp with two on-target bullet passes over the middle in traffic. He has an excellent arm and has shown the velocity to get the ball into tight spaces.

•  Tight end Jerell Adams had another good practice. He caught the first passes of the day from both Manning and Davis Webb. He looks much faster and more fluid in his route-running this year, likely due to a greater understanding of the playbook.

•  Mykkele Thompson was spotted at slot cornerback. After his first two seasons in the NFL were cut short by injury, he will try to carve out a spot on this roster as a versatile player in the secondary with experience at cornerback and safety. He will also have to show he can be productive on special teams.

•  Webb showed off his arm again today, completing a beautiful high-arcing deep pass in the middle of the field to speedster Kevin Snead, who created great separation. The ball comes out of Webb's hand so easily and gets where it needs to go efficiently. The arm talent is there.

•  The left side of the defensive line did a good job getting hands up and deflecting a short Manning pass late in practice. I think it was defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson who got his hands on the ball, but defensive end Avery Moss was in the area as well.

•  The battle of the back end of the defensive backs depth chart should be fierce all summer. Jadar Johnson made a nice play knocking the ball away from Evan Engram on a pass from Josh Johnson. DaShaun Amos made an even better play knocking the ball away from Roger Lewis Jr. when Johnson tried to hit him a deep route near the sideline for a potential third-and-short conversion. Amos didn't focus too much on the sticks and stuck with his man on the shot down the field and made the play.

•  Running back Orleans Darkwa, rebounding from an injury-plagued 2016 season, is getting plenty of chances in the backfield. He has shown his usual decisive running style and has also caught some balls out of the backfield.

•  During special teams drills, two of the Giants' star wide receivers were busy trying to get better. Brandon Marshall was off to the side working with a staff member on finding and catching the ball over his shoulder. Sterling Shepard was catching footballs from Steve Spagnuolo around a vertical pole, with the focus on catching the ball away from his body.

View the best photos from Tuesday's OTA practice

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