If defensive coordinator Wink Martindale ever wrote up a listing for “Giants cornerback” to post on a jobs board, the qualifications would be a direct match for Tre Hawkins’ athletic résumé.
So, maybe it’s no surprise then that Hawkins is atop the stack of applicants — let’s call it a depth chart — to fill the position as training camp winds down.
“You look at Tre, look no further than the physical traits,” assistant general manager Brandon Brown said. “Wink is very particular of what plays in the system and what’s at a premium.
“We know you have to be able to run, got to be strong, guys that have length, and you have to be willing to be physical in the run game [and] also in press coverage.”
A parade of top draft prospects visited the Giants’ facility in the spring, but one of the league-capped 30 visits was quietly saved for an NFL Combine snub from Old Dominion by way of junior college.
Hawkins’ 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame, 32 ¹/₈-inch arms and 4.39-second 40-yard dash speed were thought to be molded for Martindale.
“I took a long route on this journey, so I know highs and lows come with it,” Hawkins told The Post. “As a kid going through this whole process is like a roller coaster. Most definitely I believed it [was possible to be here] and most definitely there was doubt. It goes hand-in-hand.”
Hawkins impressed his way during his visit to becoming a sixth-round pick by diagramming plays and convincing key decisionmakers like Brown that he “loves ball” — and he hasn’t stopped opening eyes since.
If late-round draft picks are supposed to be limited to special teams as rookies, no one told him.
“I wasn’t coming in here with a mindset of what the draft would do to my opportunity,” Hawkins said. “I was looking for any opportunity to capitalize on. The Giants aren’t a team that because you are a certain draft pick, you only are going to get a certain amount of reps. I’m thankful we all get equal opportunities.”
Every training camp offers rookies or journeymen who flash for a couple practices before fading.
That Hawkins has sustained his playmaking since being elevated to the starting defense — he intercepted Daniel Jones during Monday’s practice — suggests something different.
“He’s had a good camp,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “He has been consistent, which is what you look for [along with] the discipline that you need to improve every day. It’s not always perfect — there is a lot of things that he can do better — but he’s had the right approach to his job.”
Whether Hawkins is merely an improvement over the carousel of young starting cornerbacks to pass through in recent years — Antonio Hamilton, Isaac Yiadom, DeAndre Baker, Corey Ballentine and more — or he has the chance to be a scouting home run will be decided in the regular season.
From 2010-21, the Giants made 62 draft picks in the third round or later.
Only six developed into multiyear starters for the Giants, according to Pro Football Reference, and none have matched undrafted gem Victor Cruz (2010) as a Pro Bowler.
“Nothing has been too big for Tre,” Brown said. “Every time there’s been a platform, he’s answered the bell. He’s been taking to the coaching, and we’re going to keep putting more on his plate and let him handle what he can handle.”
By outplaying nickels Cor’Dale Flott and Darnay Holmes, Hawkins is forcing adaptable veteran Adoree’ Jackson into the slot when the Giants put their top cornerbacks on the field.
It’s an unselfishness that Hawkins tries to emulate with his own attitude as his stock rises.
“Staying humble is me being an underdog my whole life, ready to prove a point,” Hawkins said. “But I also know celebrating too early, it could be taken away just as fast. It’s not about the end result, it’s more about the system. I try to focus on what I have to do the next day to build me becoming a future starter.”
The “future” could arrive Week 1, Sept. 10 against the Cowboys.
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