The Giants wrapped up the second week of organized team activities (OTAs) on Friday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. They return to the field on Tuesday for a three-day mandatory minicamp.
Here are the standouts from OTA No. 6:
LB TAE DAVIS: The inside linebacker has been running with the first team in certain packages this spring, and he earned his keep today. First, Davis broke up a pass intended for tight end Rhett Ellison during the two-minute drill. Later on, he got an interception over the middle and would have returned it for a touchdown. After making the team as an undrafted rookie last year, Davis played in 14 games with four starts, including the final two weeks. He recorded 32 tackles on the year with two sacks and four quarterback hits. Playing next to Alec Ogletree must be paying off for Davis after his veteran counterpart had five interceptions in 2018, returning two for touchdowns.
QB DANIEL JONES: The sixth overall pick capped the second week of OTAs with one of his best practices, racking up completions from one-on-one drills to two-minute situations to regular team periods. While there weren't many "wow" highlights for the offense, the ball seldom hit the ground off the arm of Jones. The Duke product had special connections going with wide receiver Corey Coleman and tight end Garrett Dickerson throughout the morning. Jones did some damage during the two-minute drill throwing in their direction as both targets have been stacking solid practices. Coleman made a great touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone in Wednesday's practice, and Dickerson has started to accumulate receptions. Wide receiver Bennie Fowler also had a strong showing on Friday, highlighted by a pair of touchdowns from Eli Manning during one-on-one drills in the red zone.
"We're taking it one day at a time, in that we're trying to practice the best we can here in OTAs, and with the season in mind and trying to all prepare ourselves for that first game," Jones said earlier in the week. "Like I said, we're focused on what we're doing here, making sure tomorrow's practice is as sharp as it can be and through the summer. It's been good so far and I'm looking forward to finishing strong."
Meanwhile, Pat Shurmur and his staff will continue to put more on his plate.
"He obviously has a great foundation for playing the position," Shurmur said. "We gave him a small group of plays the first day of rookie minicamp. Then we gave him another group and another group. We kept piling on. I think he is doing a good job sorting through it and learning the details of the position. You never totally know where a player is when you get him. He was ready to compete when he got here. It was just a matter of him learning how we do it here."
S JABRILL PEPPERS: Sometimes playing safety is just about being in the right place at the right time. Peppers is making a habit of it in OTAs, grabbing his second interception in six OTA practices off a redirected pass. Today, he got help from cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who got enough of the ball to have it miss Ellison and go into the hands of the newcomer from Cleveland. Peppers is teaming up with veteran Antoine Bethea in a new-look safety tandem. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher is utilizing their experience playing both safety positions.
"It helps a lot, even going in week-to-week playing against your opponent," Bethea said. "A lot of times, you'll have a down safety and a back safety, but being that we've both played down and we've both played back, we can disguise our defense, help our defense, and confuse the opposing quarterback."
Remaining OTAs: June 10-13. Mandatory Minicamp runs June 4-6.
