New York Giants: Can Sterling Shepard Handle the Hype

The New York Giants have a budding star on their hands in wide receiver Sterling Shepard. How is the rookie handling the hype surrounding him?

Sterling Shepard has been one of the most impressive players on the New York Giants in training camp so far, and with that has come a lot of expectations. As a second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Shepard was going to be expected to contribute in the offense this season, but all signs are pointing to him becoming a special player.

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In New York, the hype surrounding a player can be a lot to deal with, but Shepard is handling it all very well.

“You just have to tune all the outside stuff out and that is what I do,” Shepard said to Dan Duggan of NJ.com. “I have been doing that since college. The media is going to talk, people are going to talk, but you just can’t let that type of stuff get to your head. You have to focus on what you have to do. I have been dealing with that since college, so it is nothing new.”

The recent news that Victor Cruz is  dealing with groin tightness will only create more pressure on Shepard to thrive in his rookie season. Cruz isn’t going to be playing in the Giants’ preseason opener on Friday against the Miami Dolphins due to the groin. While Cruz has downplayed the injury, the Giants, and their fans are very worried about him. When he was drafted, Shepard expected to play a big role, so the status of Cruz has no impact on his mindset.

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“Coming into this thing, that has been my mindset the whole time,” Shepard said of filling a big role to Duggan. “You never know what is going to happen, so you have to be ready. I feel like I have been carrying a big load trying to learn all the positions on the field inside and outside. That has kind of been my mindset the whole time, so it is not that big of a deal.”

Since they were drafted in the same class, the battles between Shepard and first-round pick Eli Apple have been very talked about during camp. While Apple’s role on the defense is a bit uncertain still, the two battling in camp is going to be good for the development of both of them.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Shepard said to Duggan. “We are both getting better. He is just trying to learn the schemes and I am trying to learn the plays, so we’re doing the same thing.”

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Even though Giants fans will be disappointed that Cruz won’t be playing in the preseason opener, it will be fun to see how Shepard looks in his first game with the team. All indications are that he won’t be feeling any pressure as the No.2 option behind Odell Beckham Jr.