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New York Giants: Keep an eye on Division III’s Daryl Virgies

Though he comes from a Division III school, the speedy Daryl Virgies is an intriguing prospect to watch as he joins the New York Giants.

The leap from Division III football to the National Football League is a dramatic one. Since 1988, only 20 players have been drafted into the NFL out of Division III schools. According to D3Football.com, only about a half dozen undrafted D-III prospects are signed each year.

A product of the D-III Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL), Daryl Virgies has an uphill battle ahead of him to make the New York Giants final 53-man roster in 2017. However, he’s defied many odds just by even landing a contract with the club.

At VUL, Virgies spent time playing linebacker, free safety, defensive end and defensive tackle before becoming the team’s starting running back. In 2014, he recorded 52 tackles as a defender while carrying the football 22 times for 320 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Virgies 2015 collegiate campaign was filled with both highs and lows. During the season’s first game he exploded for a whopping 310 yards and seven touchdowns on just nine rushing attempts. Unfortunately, in his third game of the year, Virgies would go on to bruise his MCL, forcing him to miss significant time. He returned for the final two games of the season, taking 11 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns over that span.

Virgies put up some gaudy measurable numbers at his NFL Regional Combine and Pro Day which helped draw interest from several professional clubs. His best numbers were compiled by Wola Odeniran of SB Nation.

  • Bench press 455 lbs
  • Squat 705 lbs
  • Short shuttle: 4.20 (Pro Day)
  • 40-yard dash: 4.33 (tryout with Indianapolis Colts)
  • Broad Jump: 11.11
  • Vertical Jump: 41′

After he went undrafted, Virgies had workouts the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He remained unsigned for the 2016 season, but had a workout with the Arena Football League’s Richmond Rough Riders who offered him a contract for 2017.

However, the same day Virgies received his contract from the Rough Riders, the Giants contacted him for a workout. Following the tryout, New York inked the 27-year old to a futures/reserve deal.

Virgies’ electric play and blazing speed make him a player to watch in training camp for Big Blue. Though rookies Paul Perkins and Sterling Shepard showed plenty of flashes of NFL ability, the team lacked a true home-run threat on their offense outside of Odell Beckham Jr.

While it’s a stretch Virgies will come in and immediately be that for the team, he certainly has the physical tools to develop into an excellent role player, something the Giants desperately need. New York needs more playmakers and Virgies must have shown them something to make them believe he could potentially be that diamond in the rough they’ve been searching for since Victor Cruz.

“Man it’s a blessing feeling [to join the team],” said Virgies. “My goal is to make the 53 man roster this upcoming season. All I can say is there’s only one way to tell and that is when we report back to camp.”