Tre Hawkins looking to make good on his Giants potential after quiet rookie season

The Giants thought so highly of Tre Hawkins before this season that they changed the position of their highest paid player to make room for the rookie to start. By Week 2, Hawkins was coming off the bench as Adoree’ Jackson moved from the slot back to his natural position as an outside cornerback.

Week 4 was the first of seven games that Hawkins didn’t play on defense. He totaled two defensive snaps between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, and finished the season with just one pass defended. So, where will Hawkins’ focus be to regain ground during his first NFL offseason? “I think it’s more the mental part of the game — studying the game more, becoming more of an IQ player,” Hawkins told The Post as he cleaned out his locker this week.

“A lot of people are athletic in this league, but what separates you is how you study and your preparation.” The Giants likely will part ways with Jackson — whose $11 million salary and $19 million salary cap hit were team highs in 2023 — in free agency. In that scenario, it’s difficult to think that the sixth round pick Hawkins showed enough to be penciled in as a replacement starter to form a second year duo with first round pick Deonte Banks, who already has his eyes set on the next Pro Bowl vote.

“Banks is first rounder for a reason,” Hawkins said. “He was very poised. He prepared well. He stayed consistent, stayed on routine. He played like a vet this year.” The recent departure of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will impact Hawkins, whose speed and length were suited for Martindale’s press coverage scheme.

Martindale’s advocacy of Hawkins contributed to making him arguably the most hyped player of training camp, but head coach Brian Daboll praised the rookie’s consistency and assistant general manager Brandon Brown said at the time “nothing has been too big for Tre.” “Honestly, I don’t know if it was a good or a bad thing.

It’s just something that came with my journey,” a reflective Hawkins said when asked how that buzz shaped the lens through which his season is viewed. “I get it, but nobody has higher expectations for me than me. What everyone was seeing then, I saw way before them.” Before his ugly divorce from the Giants, Martindale attributed Hawkins’ decreased role as the season progressed to other cornerbacks — namely, Cor’Dale Flott — performing better in a meritocracy, but he doubled down on “big things” in Hawkins’ future.

Daboll isn’t giving up on the raw potential he saw, either. “He’s been a true pro, done a good job in terms of everything we’ve asked him to do, and I look forward to working with him,” Daboll said. “I’m glad we have him.” Pressed into extensive defensive action in the season finale for the first time since Nov.

19, Hawkins allowed five catches on five targets for 62 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles. He kept his role on special teams throughout the season. “Even in my losses I feel like there are always lessons,” Hawkins said. “It was a roller coaster ride — lots of ups, lots of downs. It was a lot of little things [rolled] into one.

I was trying to go through any adversity that came my way and finish strong. It is hard staying focused [when not playing], but it’s my job and a task that I have to do.” Hawkins “most definitely” believes he again can be a future starter in the NFL. He will spend his offseason studying to gain a better “understanding of concepts” after hearing that message on repeat from coaches.

“There’s always going to be a chip on my shoulder,” Hawkins said. “Not even about proving people wrong, but you always have to prove somebody right. More than that, I have to prove it to myself more than anybody.”.