By Mark Eckel, Player Engagement Insider
It began with a Pro Day workout for local players and turned into a wide receiver catching 241 passes over a three-year stretch.
That’s the quick synopsis of the career of New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who went from an undrafted player out of the University of Massachusetts to one of the most productive receivers in the league between 2011 and 2013.
“It was interesting to say the least,’’ Cruz said of his journey to the NFL. “I understood where I was. I wasn’t a 6-4, 220 pound receiver with blazing speed that popped off the charts. I was a kid that came from a small school that was petty productive.’’
Before the 2010 NFL Draft Cruz, from Paterson, N.J., worked out for the Giants at a local Pro Day. He opened enough eyes that when the draft came and went, they called with a free agent offer.
“I knew that I would at least have an opportunity and I had to make the best of it,’’ Cruz said. “I had to prove myself.’’
The Washington Redskins, the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions also showed mild interest in the small-school receiver with the big heart, but when his agent told him the Giants made an offer he was sold.
“Right after the Draft ended, about 15 minutes or so, my agent called and said he heard from some teams,’’ Cruz remembered. “He gave me a list of teams and when he said the Giants, I said, ‘Let’s go with the Giants.’”
This isn’t the fairy-tale story you might think of a life-long fan getting the chance to play for the hometown team and becoming a Pro Bowl player in the process.
Close, but not quite there.
“I was a Cowboys fan growing up,’’ Cruz said of the Giants’ NFC East rivals. “My dad was a Cowboy fan, so I became a Cowboys’ fan.’’
But, he quickly adds, “I always had a lot of respect for the Giants, though. I drove by Giants stadium hundreds and hundreds of times as a kid. I understood the pride, the tradition of the Giants organization.’’
In Cruz’ first training camp with the Giants in 2010 he faced another uphill battle. The Giants had 10 other wide receivers in camp — teams usually keep five or six — and an undrafted kid from U Mass certainly wasn’t a favorite to make the final roster.
“I was nervous,’’ Cruz said. “I was coming in as an undrafted rookie just trying to learn the ropes and figure this thing out. I knew it would take a lot of hard work and that I had to be diligent, understand the playbook, and just take it one day at a time. That’s what I did. I knew even if I didn’t make the Giants’ roster maybe somebody else would see me and take notice.’’
Cruz led the Giants in receiving during the preseason and wouldn’t allow the Giants to release him. A hamstring injury forced him to spend his rookie season on injured reserve, but he was in the league.
Then, in 2011 his career took off. After a slow start —he dropped the first pass thrown to him against Washington — he caught five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in week three.
That led to nine games, over the final 13, of 98 yards receiving or more on the way to an 82-catch, 1,536-yard, nine-touchdown season. He followed that with an 80-catch, 1,092-yard, 10-touchdown season in 2012.
The early Draft picks get the attention, guaranteed money and names in headlines, but an undrafted player still has a chance.
“Guys just naturally come up to me, other underrated guys, and pick my brain,’’ Cruz said. “What was my mentality? What was I thinking? I just let them know you have to stay ahead of the curve. If the other guys are on day two, or day three, you have to be on day five. That’s the only way to do it, stay ahead of the curve and open some eyes.’’