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2016 NFL undrafted free agents: Tracking New York Giants post-draft signings

Which prospects will the Giants bring in after the draft as we track the Undrafted Free Agents.

By Chris Pflum and Ed Valentine Updated
Al Bello/Getty Images

Messiah is a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker.

Ishaq Williams is a former defensive end and outside linebacker for the Notre Dame fighting Irish. Williams hasn't played football since he was declared ineligible in 2014 as a result of the NCAA investigation into allegations of academic fraud at Notre Dame. Despite not being allowed to play football, he was allowed to keep his locker and access to the team's facilities. Williams played outside linebacker in Notre Dame's base 3-4 front and moved up to defensive end in their sub-packages. While he didn't have great speed, he showed good fluidity for a player his size in coverage and flashed the ability to win with power and quickness as a pass rusher. If Williams and Okwara are signed to contracts, the Giants could have four players -- Bennett Jackson, Louis Nix III, Romeo Okwara, and Ishaq Williams -- from the defense that powered the Fighting Irish to the national championship in 2012 in camp come August.

Esiobu is a Nigerian-born wide receiver who played for Lakeland College. He is 6-foot-2, 210 pounds.

Mike Matthews is a center from Texas A&M.

That would be Josh Woodrum, a 6-foot-2 3/4 quarterback from Liberty College. Woodrum completed 63.9 percent of his passes at Liberty for 10,266 yards. He threw 61 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions over four years.

In his draft guide, Dane Brugler of CBS Sports said:

"He is well-built with adequate arm strength for the NFL, delivering a catchable ball with touch and timing, especially on money downs, but needs to tweak his body mechanics and improve his delivery motion. Woodrum was stuck in a very conservative offense in college with most of his throws within seven yards of the line of scrimmage, but showed precision to be efficient in the short-to-intermediate passing game - development option worth stashing on the practice squad."

Malleck is a 6-foot-4, 247-pound tight end from Virginia Tech.

Lewis is a 6-foot, 201-pound wide receiver from Bowling Green. He caught 158 passes in two seasons at Bowling Green. There are character concerns stemming from his having been charged with two counts of rape in high school. He was convicted on a single lesser charge. IBrugler says "Lewis is a talented pass-catcher with starting potential down the road."

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We now know who the New York Giants' draftees are for the 2016 season, but that doesn't mean that the draft is over. Now we enter the undrafted free agent phase, and the next few hours can be as wild and hectic as any round of the draft proper.

In some ways, it is even crazier.

By the sixth or seventh rounds, teams are calling prospects they don't think will be drafted and with whom they are interested or have established a relationship. But unlike the orderly draft, this is the Wild West, a less-public version of the veteran free agency period, where teams are competing against each other to sign prospects.

Interestingly, undrafted free agents yield nearly as many pro bowlers as the previous three rounds put together -- 13.6 percent of Pro Bowlers come from the UDFA ranks compared to 15.5 percent for the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds combined.

The Giants still have plenty of roster space, and plan to add a bigger than usual crop of undrafted free agents to their 90-man roster.

It's something the Giants are very aware of, and an area they have great success in over the years. Most famously, the Giants signed Victor Cruz as a priority free agent, and he helped the team win their fourth championship while becoming one of the faces of the franchise. That year Jake Ballard, Spencer Paysinger, and Mark Herzlich -- all undrafted free agents -- played important roles in the championship run. In 2015, UDFA TE/H-Back Will Tye came from Stony Brook University to be the top rookie tight end in the NFL.

Now as the draft ends, the Giants go back to work, trying to unearth an undrafted gem.

[Disclaimer -- Given the nature of the UDFA period, these reports aren't official. Some players are signed to contracts, some simply get camp invites, and some are just erroneous]

Undrafted Free Agents

Romeo Okwara (DE, Notre Dame)

Mike Rose (DE/DT, North Carolina State)

Greg Milhouse (DT, Campbell)

Melvin Lewis (DT, Kentucky)

Deonte Deayon (CB, Boise State)

Michael Hunter (CB, Oklahoma State)

Andrew Adams (FS, UConn)

Mykel Esiobu (WR, Lakeland)

Roger Lewis (WR, Bowling Green)

KJ Maye (WR, Minnesota)

Darius Powe (WR, California)

Ryan Malleck (TE, Virginia Tech)

Cedric Lang (TE, UTEP)

Josh Woodrum (QB, Liberty)

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