Getty The New York Giants invited former Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Myjai Sanders to their 2024 rookie minicamp.
The New York Giants extended six non-roster invitations on the first day of rookie minicamp on May 10, according to New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard.
The headliner was former Arizona Cardinals third-round outside linebacker Myjai Sanders — who flamed out of AZ quickly after entering the league in 2022. If the Giants were to sign Sanders, it would be his third NFL franchise in three seasons.
The Cardinals released the Cincinnati Bearcats standout in October of 2023, and he was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans from there. Hampered by injuries early in his career, Sanders has registered 3.0 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 7 QB hits and 1 forced fumble (and recovery) over 20 appearances.
In 2022, NFL Network draft expert Lance Zierlein scouted the 6-foot-5 Sanders as a “three-year starter whose unorthodox movements can be off-putting until you realize they also help put him in position to make plays.”
Continuing: “Whether playing the run or rushing the passer, Sanders is flexible and slippery, making it hard to sustain run blocks and mirror him during pass sets. He needs to diversify his rush counters but has the foot quickness and efficiency of movement to cut a cleaner path into the pocket. Sanders is a segmented mover with a slender build and might need a move to 3-4 outside linebacker to keep from being mauled by NFL blocking.”
Sanders achieved 13.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for a loss over his final three seasons at Cincinnati.
Giants Take a Look at 3 Quarterback Prospects
Along with Sanders, Leonard noted that three quarterback prospects were throwing for the Giants on May 10. They were Northwestern’s Ben Bryant, Wabash’s Liam Thompson and Princeton’s Blake Stenstrom.
Of the three, the 6-foot-3 Bryant is the most accomplished, having started for schools like Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan and Northwestern.
Bryant threw for over 8,000 yards over the course of his collegiate career, with 50 passing touchdowns compared to 23 interceptions. He logged a career completion percentage of 64.3 and passed for a cumulative rating of 137.4.
Thompson threw for more total yardage than Bryant, but he did so as a Division III quarterback. A four-year starter at Wabash, the 6-foot-1 signal-caller totaled over 11,000 passing yards with another 1,700-plus on the ground. He also hit paydirt 133 times if you combine his passing and rushing touchdowns.
Thompson owned a 65.0 completion percentage and threw 30 interceptions over 41 career appearances.
Finally, the 6-foot-4 Stenstrom started two seasons at Princeton, achieving over 5,000 passing yards. He registered a 64.0 completion percentage — similar to Bryant and Thompson — with 29 passing TDs and 10 interceptions.
Stenstrom also ran for 328 yards and 5 touchdowns. He transferred to Princeton from Colorado in 2021.
Giants Host OLB Shaka Toney & WR Jared Bernhardt Along With Myjai Sanders
There were two other veterans in attendance on Friday, along with Sanders. Those rookie minicamp invites were fellow outside linebacker Shaka Toney and wide receiver Jared Bernhardt.
Toney is a former Washington Commanders seventh-rounder who was drafted in 2021. Weighing in at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds, Toney has appeared in 26 NFL outings.
Over that span of opportunities, the late-round pick recorded 1.5 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss, along with 3 QB hits. Toney was suspended by the NFL for gambling in April of 2023, missing the entire campaign of games that followed.
He was officially reinstated in April of 2024, before being released by Washington. This Giants tryout is one of Toney’s first real second chances since being cleared by the league office.
Bernhardt went undrafted in 2022, signing with the Atlanta Falcons as a UDFA. He has only appeared in two NFL games and nine offensive snaps, and briefly retired after suffering major injuries in 2022.