The New York Giants may have struck gold after the draft by signing former Bowling Green wide receiver Roger Lewis. Can he crack the roster?
Over the last few years, the New York Giants have found some key contributors through the pool of undrafted free agents, and the next in line could wind up being former Bowling Green receiver Roger Lewis.
Lewis had some serious character concerns coming out of high school, which caused most big name colleges to drop out of the running for the four-star prospect.
He put some significant legal issues behind him, including rape charges, and wound up signing with Bowling Green in 2014 after a year at a prep school in 2013.
Lewis was an immediate impact player at Bowling Green, catching 73 passes for 1,093 yards and seven touchdowns in his freshman season. He followed that up with a phenomenal sophomore campaign in which he caught 85 passes for 1,544 yards and 16 touchdowns.
His 16 scores were good for third in FBS this past season, and his 1,544 yards trailed only fellow undrafted free agent gem Keyarris Garrett of Tulsa. So, with those kind of numbers, why did this guy go undrafted?
Well, you can’t discount the legal history, and it’s clear teams did not. The Giants were able to get what was likely a top 100-150 player after the draft because of a variety of reasons, not the least of which are the charges brought against him back in 2012.
If that truly is in the rear-view, Lewis can focus on the future and making a name for himself at the next level. The Giants have been successful with undrafted skill position players, including Victor Cruz and Larry Donnell, who are both starters in their offense.
Of course, having a quarterback like Eli Manning helps elevate the game of these players, but Lewis has an uphill battle ahead. He played a position at Bowling Green that allowed him a lot of free release off the line of scrimmage, not forcing a ton of physical play at the point of attack. Aggressive defensive backs in the NFL won’t allow him those kind of easy releases. Here’s what NFL Mocks analyst Shawn Spencer wrote about Lewis prior to the draft:
“Overall, Roger Lewis is a starting flanker or slot receiver who can play off the line of scrimmage and get a free release. He doesn’t possess the upper body strength to line up as a split end on the line of scrimmage and beat press coverage.
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Lewis wasn’t asked to run a wide variety of routes at Bowling Green, but he did prove to be more than just a deep threat. It may take him some time to learn all the intricacies of the receiver position at the NFL level, but he should have a long career.
Lewis is a top-100 prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft and will be a steal if he’s still on the board on day three.”
Lewis is far from a perfect wide receiver prospect, but there are a lot of things to like about his ability to contribute on the field. He has good speed, solid hands, and he’s entering a receiver competition in New York that is pretty open behind the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., second round pick Sterling Shepard, and Victor Cruz.
I think the Giants found themselves an undrafted gem.