At first blush it seems like the height of offseason news slumps to talk about whether an undrafted free agent long snapper can be a factor for the New York Giants. That said… Could Ben Mann, an undrafted long snapper from Boston College be a factor for the Giants in 2025?
Mann is a red-shirt senior who transferred from Yale to BC for his final year, playing in a total of 40 games over the last four years. He brings solid size to the position at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, as well as elite athleticism for the position.
It isn’t much of a surprise that Mann is an excellent athlete for his position, as he was a three-sport star in high school at Manheim Township, Pennsylvania. There, Mann played football, basketball, and lacrosse, and was the senior captain of their football team. He’s also pursuing his Masters of Science in Sports Analytics.
Long snapper is one of those thankless positions where the less we talk about the player, the better. Generally, if we’re talking about the long snapper, something has gone very wrong. However, Giants fans know well how important special teams are, and while we rarely talk about specialists, they they can be some of the most pivotal players on the field.
Problems in the kicking game likely cost the Giants multiple games over the last two years. And while the leg strength and accuracy of the kicker get most of the focus, the long snapper is almost as important as the guy kicking the ball. The accuracy and timing of the snap heavily influences the entire operation, and a poor or inconsistent snapper can lead to poor punts or missed kicks.
The Giants have, for the most part, only known consistency and quality from the long snapper position. Zak DeOssie manned the position from 2007 to 2019 and was one of the best specialists in the NFL for a decade. However, fans might also remember the end of his career when he grew inconsistent in 2019 after injuries took their toll. The team then moved on to Casey Kreiter who took over form DeOssie and solidified the position for another six seasons, from 2020 to 2025.
Now, that position is once again open.
The Giants signed 35-year old Zach Triner earlier in the off-season, though he might not settle the position. Triner has bounced around the NFL since signing a Futures contract with the New York Jets in 2017, and has spent time with the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Commanders.
Mann will be in direct competition with Triner, and both players will have their advantages.
Teams tend to prefer seasoned specialists, not wanting to risk an unpredictable young player on a high-stakes play, which is a mark in the veteran Triner’s favor. While he’s been on six teams since the start of 2024, Triner did spend most of five years as the Buccaneers’ long snapper. He’s done it on the biggest stages, including the Buccaneers’ win in Super Bowl LV. That kind of experience goes a long way toward winning coaches’ confidence.
Mann, on the other hand, brings the advantages of youth and athleticism, with his explosiveness and burst stand out in particular. His 10-yard split is only slightly slower than that of Arvell Reese and his vertical is impressive as well. That’s promising for his ability to snap the ball then get downfield to cover a punt return, which is the best opportunity for a long snapper to have stand-out plays. Mann will need accuracy and consistency in his snapping to make this a competition at all, but athletic upside could swing things in the young man’s favor.
There will be battles all over the Giants’ roster this summer, but we shouldn’t overlook the long snapper position. Not with John Harbaugh as head coach.
