No, he was not targeting the first-rounder, was not targeting Eli Apple right off the bat Monday in the very first Organized Team Activity practice of the spring. But it sort of looked that way as Eli Manning’s first few passes in the team period were thrown in Apple’s direction.
“I guess they were trying to pick on me a little bit, first play Eli tried to check a fade or whatever, and they checked a couple of other plays, I noticed,’’ Apple said. “Just got to be ready for anything out there.’’
Apple, taken 10th overall in the NFL Draft out of Ohio State, seemed ready for everything. The only completion he allowed in the early barrage was a short gain to Dwayne Harris. Apple was working alongside Janoris Jenkins as the starting cornerbacks, with veteran Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie not in attendance at this first OTA.
“Yeah, getting more reps definitely isn’t a bad thing at all, because you get more experience, you naturally get more comfortable,’’ Apple said of working with the first-team defense, adding that he also looks forward to working with DRC “because I think he’s a great corner.’’
The offseason program, including the 10 OTA sessions, is voluntary. Rodgers-Cromartie participated in the veteran mini-camp (also voluntary) in late April, but has not been a regular at the other offseason workouts.
“DRC wasn’t able to make it,’’ first-year head coach Ben McAdoo said after Monday’s practice. “We look forward to getting him back here as soon as we can. It’s a voluntary opportunity, OTAs. If he’s here, we’ll coach him. If he’s not, we wish him nothing but the best.’’
Asked if he heard from Rodgers-Cromartie about the absence from the first OTA, McAdoo said: “Like I said, this is a voluntary camp. We want all of our guys here. We feel it’s important to developing the team and building fundamentals and working on communication and we can’t wait to get DRC back.’’
Apple was the beneficiary of DRC’s no-show. Manning said it “wasn’t the intention’’ to test Apple early and often and “for the most part, I don’t even know who is at corner and you don’t know who you’re looking at.’’ Apple got the opportunity to line up across from an assortment of receivers, including Odell Beckham Jr.
“It was interesting, for sure,’’ Apple said of dealing with Beckham. “He runs his routes well. He’s a fast guy. It was fun going against him. They didn’t throw the ball his way when I was going against him, but you can tell with his explosiveness and how he gets out of breaks. It’s impressive.
“There’s definitely a big difference between a first-team receiver and a third-team guy. But everybody’s pretty good, everybody’s going to give you something different, you just got to make sure you’re on top of everything with your technique. I think I held my own, just got to make sure I’m focusing on every play and make sure I just expect the ball every time.’’
At 6-foot-1, Apple running across the grass looks like a sleek, fluid athlete. He played as an outside corner in college, but, with Rodgers-Cromartie and Jenkins starting on the outside, Apple will have to learn how to play out of the slot as a rookie. He already has noticed “you have to communicate a lot more, something can change depending on the motion, so you got to make sure you’re noticing everything. It’s not going to be an easy adjustment for sure. I’m going to have to be in my playbook every day, talking to my coach and try to pick the brain from other guys to gain more experience out there.’’
Apple already is immersed in one rookie ritual. He has been briefed about his responsibilities as a first-round pick and reports he’s already supplied the veterans with “snacks, honey buns, candy, little things like that.’’ That service will be intensified once training camp hits.
“I expect it,’’ Apple said. “It’s all good.’’