New York Giants Training Camp Player Preview: OLB Quincy Roche
In a perfect world, NFL teams would get every player they target in free agency and the NFL draft.
Ah, but we don't live in a perfect world, and as such, often, a player with whom a team has interest doesn't always find himself coming to that team--at least not usually.
Outside linebacker Quincy Roche is an exception. Roche, who began his college career at Temple in 2016 before transferring to Miami after the 2019 season, was a player that drew the Giants' interest as a possible Day 3 pick n the 2020 draft.
And why not? Spending three years at Temple and one with the Miami Hurricanes, Roche accumulated 182 tackles, 30.5 sacks, and 54 tackles for a loss. He also earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019 after logging career highs in tackles (49), tackles for a loss (19), and sacks (13.0).
Alas for New York, the Steelers plucked him out of the draft in the sixth round, No. 216 overall. However, Roche didn't make the Steelers' 53-man roster and was waived as part of the final cutdown date, the Steelers' intention to slip him onto their practice squad.
The Giants, however, put in a claim for Roche's contract and were awarded it. Roche would fill in some of the gap left when the Giants' own fourth-round draft pick, Elerson Smith, dealt with a problematic hamstring and immediately gave the Giants a physical presence on the edge.
Despite that production and the promise in Roche's game, he's not a sure-fire slam dunk to make the 53-man roster, but he certainly has a lot going in his favor. Let's break it all down.
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