Rueben Randle heard there were two knocks on him, two main reasons why he slipped out of the first round of the NFL Draft and very nearly out of the second.
“I’ve heard work ethic was an issue, and knees were the two main things,’’ Randle said yesterday during the Giants’ rookie mini-camp. “I’m here trying to prove I’m fine and work ethic is no issue.’’
Randle dismissed any health concern, saying a bout with tendinitis in his knees as a sophomore at LSU is no longer a problem. As far as a less-than-desirable work ethic, well, Randle said judge him on what you see, not what you have heard.
“I guess it’s my demeanor,” he said. “I’m not one of those quick-twitch kind of guys. I’m a strider, so I can come off as being a little lazy.”
The Giants do not share the perception Randle is lazy, which is why they took him with the final pick in the second round. Randle made an extremely positive first impression. After the first practice of this camp, coach Tom Coughlin, though not wishing to single out any player after such a small sample, did admit, “I was very impressed with Randle out on the field this morning.’’
The highlight of the session was Randle, who is 6-foot-2, getting a step on third-round pick Jayron Hosley, a 5-foot-10 cornerback from Virginia Tech. Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who spent last season on and off the practice squad, hit Randle in stride and he made an over-the-shoulder catch deep downfield.
“He’s coming here and he’s proving to everybody he’s going to be the guy for us to go and get it,’’ said Perrilloux, who like Randle played at LSU. “He’s definitely polished. After this mini-camp I’ll go to Eli [Manning] and tell him what to expect, what kind of guys we have. He’s definitely going to be a guy you’ll like throwing to.’’
It was not the only eye-catching moment for Randle, whose production suffered this past season primarily because of LSU’s struggles at quarterback. On the first passes thrown to Randle, cornerback Brandon Bing from Rutgers anticipated the throw and knocked the ball away. Next, Randle bobbled a pass out of bounds. After that, Randle caught everything thrown his way, including a leaping grab over San Diego rookie cornerback Al-Rilwan Adeyemi.
“In terms of going deep and going down the field he looked pretty good,’’ offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “We saw what we needed from him, which is go get the ball.’’
* All seven Giants draft picks signed before or immediately after stepping on the field.
Running back David Wilson, the first-round pick from Virginia Tech, signed a four-year deal (with a team option for a fifth year) for $6.68 million, including a signing bonus of $3.3 million.
Wilson, as advertised, looked extremely quick.
“He looks like if he’s got a hole he’ll hit it and he’s got a chance to do some damage,’’ Gilbride said.
* Defensive tackle Markus Kuhn, the seventh-round pick from North Carolina State, did not participate in practice because of a non-football related leg laceration he suffered in the past week. … The Giants signed eight undrafted free agents: WR David Douglas (Arizona), WR Julien Talley Massachusetts), FB Joe Martinek (Rutgers), G Stephen Goodin (Nebraska-Kearney). DE Adewale Ojomo (Miami), DE Matt Broha (Louisiana Tech), S Jojo Nicolas (Miami) and S Janzen Jackson (McNeese State).
One player in on a tryout basis is S Will Hill of East Orange, N.J. Hill was suspended, then kicked off the team at Florida, left school a year early and spent last season in the Arena League.
Another player in for a tryout is WR Limas Sweed, a 2008 second-round pick of the Steelers who never panned out because of injuries and too many dropped passes.