It's been 6 1/2 months since Travis Beckum has participated in a football practice. Sure, there were some workouts and the combine before the Giants drafted him in the third round April 26. But Beckum hasn't lined up against competition since the middle of October, when he broke his left fibula in Wisconsin's game against Illinois.
Beckum will take part in the Giants' rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday, ending what he said is the longest football drought of his life since he began playing the sport. Still, he's had tougher stretches to go through.
A highly recruited player out of high school and one of the most anticipated arrivals in years at Wisconsin, Beckum was considered a future star for the Badgers . . . at linebacker. It didn't work out that way, and Beckum switched to defensive end in the middle of his freshman season, a position where he saw a few snaps but wasn't making an impact.
"It was probably the most difficult year of my life,"
he said. "I was used to playing all the time in high school and I wasn't contributing at all. I was used to always being the man and always playing. Mentally, it took a toll on me."
By the time spring practices came around, Beckum realized he wouldn't be seeing much playing time on defense, so he spoke to his coaches about it and came armed with a proposal. He wanted to switch to offense.
"They laughed at first,"
Beckum said. "I had to be like, 'No, coach, I'm serious.' "
Beckum wasn't built like a tight end, particularly not one you'd expect to dominate in the Big Ten. But it took only a few games for Wisconsin to realize what kind of weapon it had. Rather than line Beckum up next to the tackle and use him as a blocker, they split him wide or dropped him in the slot or started him in the backfield. He became an H-back, a position the Badgers hadn't used in a long time, and plays had to be designed especially for him.
"It was difficult to learn all the terminology and the route running,"
Beckum said of the initial transition. But as a former linebacker, he also knew how difficult it would be to cover him.
It's been years since the Giants have had an H-back like him, a weapon who can create mismatches with linebackers and safeties. At 6-3, 243 pounds, Beckum won't be asked to do much blocking. The Giants aren't quite sure what they'll be asking him to do. Like the staff at Wisconsin, the Giants will be designing new plays to maximize Beckum's abilities at a seldom-used position.
"It'll be fun to do that,"
Tom Coughlin said. "There are certain things you try to feature or develop with that particular kind of player."
Beckum will get a better idea of those things beginning today.
