New York Giants

Odell Beckham Jr. recruited Shane Vereen to sign with Giants

Published Jun. 4, 2015 10:51 a.m. ET

foxsports

Fresh off of a Super Bowl victory, running back Shane Vereen hit free agency as a winner and he hoped to keep it that way. When the New York Giants showed early interest in signing him, before making a decision, Vereen had to find out if the Giants were on a winning path. After talking with a lot of players from a lot of teams, it was Odell Beckham Jr. who sold Vereen on joining the Giants' franchise.

According to Jenny Vrentas of SI's Monday Morning Quarterback, Vereen told her that Beckham sold Vereen on the Giants' young and talented core, the culture, and Vereen's potential role within Ben McAdoo's offensive scheme.

Vereen also talked to Vrentas about working with quarterback Eli Manning and how the veteran has helped him pick up the offense. Manning's advice was straight forward but vital to the Giants' offensive scheme. According to Vrentas, he told Vereen, "Pick up the blitz. You don't have to wait for me to call it, just pick up the blitz."

Fellow running back Rashad Jennings stressed the importance of pass protection in McAdoo's offense on Giants Insider on Giants.com earlier this week.

"You have to protect the quarterback at all costs," Jennings said. "Understand the protections inside and out. Execute on the little details of your positions. Understand how the defense is going to attack you."

Pass protection is even more vital for Vereen--he is projected to take over the passing down back role and be involved on the majority of third downs. The Giants weren't messing around when they signed Vereen--he has a history of protecting the passer. In 2014, he allowed just four total pressures on 56 pass block snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

After pass protection is down, the Giants' scheme calls for a passing down back who can add a receiving element to the offense. This is something they were missing in 2014, but also an area they expect Vereen to contribute in. Vereen is an excellent route runner and he has sure hands as a receiver. He finished with a very low drop rate on his way to 53 receptions on 56 catchable passes, per Pro Football Focus.

Vereen's ability in the passing game has already stood out to Jennings, who previously played with one of the best receiving backs in his prime--Maurice Jones-Drew. On Giants Insider, Jennings described Vereen as having great hands and being difficult to cover in the passing game.

Vereen's role with the team is not set in stone, and some believe that he can eventually carve out an even bigger role than third down back. Vereen's running style is suited for McAdoo's run scheme that heavily utilizes zone blocking concepts.

(h/t New York Giants)

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports