EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants boasted that Rueben Randle was NFL-ready after they took the LSU receiver in the second round of the draft, and as the Super Bowl champions opened rookie minicamp Friday, he didn't disappoint.
Randle went high to catch a pass along the sideline, and he later burned third-round draft choice Jayron Hosley on a "go" pattern in the morning session of Friday's camp. Randle showed signs he might be able to replace Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham, who left to sign with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent.
Former LSU signal-caller Ryan Perrilloux, who has been on the Giants' practice squad, has no doubt about Randle's NFL prospects.
"He is huge -- 6-foot-3, 210 ( pounds). A speedy guy, real good in and out of breaks," Perrilloux said. "Like I said, he's the kind of guy a quarterback can rely on because he has all that athletic ability that you need. When you get in trouble, you never go wrong just throwing his way."
Randle, who caught 53 passes for 917 yards and eight touchdowns last season, said he's excited to have a chance to play with a two-time Super Bowl MVP like Eli Manning.
"As a receiver, you want someone who can get you the ball because you work so hard to get open," Randle said. "Coming in and playing with Eli, who is a great quarterback -- that's very exciting."
With Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz starting, Randle will compete with Domenik Hixon and Ramses Barden for playing time.
"They are expecting big things from me, and I have to live up to it. I think I can get there," Randle said of being ready to contribute this season. "I am still young and learning on the fly. With the right time and the right opportunity, I can be there."
For the next few months, Randle will have to learn the playbook and be ready to go when the team starts training camp in Albany in late July.
"Football is football," Randle said. "It's just learning the terminology and seeing how they use things and run things. The routes are many of the same we ran in college."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
