'Eat or starve': Hungry mindset driving rookie Tre Hawkins III's rise at NY Giants camp

EAST RUTHERFORD - Tre Hawkins III may have played his college ball at Old Dominion, a small program given the relative rarity of its players reaching this level, let alone sticking in the NFL.

Make no mistake: Hawkins has hit the league with an empty stomach and a big appetite. He's already managed to impress as a sixth-round rookie with the New York Giants, garnering praise across the board from observers at training camp practices - media and fans alike - not to mention his teammates and coaches, including the one that oversees everything.

Hawkins started from the bottom and now he's here: running with the starters on the boundary the last two practices, with first-round rookie Deonte Banks on the opposite sideline and Adoree' Jackson bumping inside for a handful of reps, providing the Giants with a different look to consider against certain matchups.

"Eat or starve," Hawkins said, sharing the hungry mindset that is driving a faster-than-anticipated ascension on the depth chart.

"He’s earned it.," Giants coach Brian Daboll said of Hawkins, promising the same opportunity for any player on the roster at this point of the summer.

Step on the field and compete. Don't back down from a challenge.

And if you do that, the reward will come.

Hawkins, who turned 23 on Tuesday, is scrappy and appears to have a resilience to his game that stands out. He has been very active around the ball, picking up interceptions in 1-on-1 drills and breaking up passes in team drills against first and second team receivers.

As with anything, Hawkins has also given up some plays, some of which came despite sticky coverage, such as a perfectly-threaded ball from Daniel Jones to Parris Campbell for a touchdown Monday.

Hawkins came right back on the next series and knocked the ball away from receiver Isaiah Hodgins for a PBU.

"I'm not trying to do too much," Hawkins said. "I'm just trying to perfect my craft every day on the field."

The Giants took Hawkins late in the sixth round with the scouting report of his being a "height, weight and speed prospect that has high upside," general manager Joe Schoen said back in April. They lauded his toughness, being a willing tackler and a good developmental prospect for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale's system.

At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Hawkins certainly looks like he belongs on the field. The position coaches gave the players the depth chart for the day in the morning meetings, and Hawkins was undaunted when he saw his name bumped up from the second team to the first.

"I want to go out there and compete every single day," Hawkins said. "I'm focusing on my responsibility, which is outside corner, and as I grow in that aspect, I'm gonna try to learn who's my help around me, so I guess I'll learn every spot when I learn where's the help around me."

Hawkins started all 25 games in two seasons for Old Dominion, and that physicality the Giants loved was on display throughout. Two years ago, he made a career-high 76 tackles, the most by an ODU cornerback in a single season in school history.

He ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, and the Giants were on him even before then. How so? Schoen, Daboll and Co. scouted Hawkins closely and brought him to East Rutherford and he spent the day with the team on a pre-draft "30" visit. They liked his make-up and his physical traits, and since he was not at the Scouting Combine, the medicals were essential, too.

“I’m proud, but it’s only Week 2 of camp,” Hawkins said. "I’m not getting too high or too low. Every day it’s hard, and I’m just trying to work on everything: my feet, my hands, my eyes."

Hawkins certainly passes the eye test, not to mention the boxes he checks with the other facets of his game. He has long admired the play of Dolphins star Jalen Ramsey, the Broncos' Patrick Surtain II and former Raven Jimmy Smith, who excelled in Martindale's system.

"None of them are scared," Hawkins quipped back in the spring when asked what he liked about their style of play.

It's still early in his first camp with the Giants, but Hawkins is refusing to show any fear despite the challenge, either.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Tre Hawkins: Inside NY Giants rookie's strong training camp