With a practice squad spot open after the elevation of Michael Hunter, the New York Giants tried out four offensive linemen for the vacant spot.
The elevation of CB Michael Hunter to the active roster left the New York Giants with an empty slot on their practice squad. To fill it, the team worked out OT Rob Crisp, OT Jason Weaver, G Jon Halapio and G Shahbaz Ahmed. The team ultimately elected to sign Halapio to their practice squad
Out of the four players brought in, Halapio was the only one not to enter the NFL as undrafted free agent. A team captain his junior and senior seasons at the University of Florida, Halapio was originally drafted by the New England Patriots. New England selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. During his collegiate football career, he started 43 of 51 games at guard for the Gators.
Since entering the league Halapio as yet to spend time on a team’s active roster. Despite being a draft pick that year, he was waived by the Patriots during their final roster cut-down. Halapio spent the 2014 season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad.
He was with the Arizona Cardinals during the 2015 offseason but was released prior to the start of the regular season. Halapio spent this past offseason on his second stint with the Patriots. However, once again he was waived during the final roster trimming period.
The 25-year-old comes to the Giants with little likelihood of ever seeing their active roster. He serves as probably no more than a practice body for the foreseeable future. New York will hope he can be a quality reserve player for them this season.
