Roger Lewis

New York Giants wide receiver Roger Lewis (82) protects the ball after he made a catch during the Giants voluntary OTA practice session last week.

(Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media)

EAST RUTHERFORD - Every day as they walk outside to prepare for practice, Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. has a few words for a much lesser known wide receiver on the Giants roster.

"[No.] 82, let's go like it's your last day," Beckham tells Roger Lewis.

More than most, that specific message rings true for Lewis. He's on a fraying string thanks to a troubled past that scared teams off and forced him into being an undrafted rookie near the end of the Giants roster.

"Those words coming from [Beckham], that means it's time to go and try to be great," Lewis said after Monday's organized team activity workout.

The early results have been encouraging. Lewis' talent has flashed with leaping grabs over defenders' heads and an ability to sprint open downfield at OTAs. It's exactly what he did consistently at Bowling Green last season, when he had 85 catches for 1,544 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Of all the Giants undrafted free agent signings this year, Lewis, 22, appears to have the best chance to make the team. He says his play at minicamp and organized team activities have earned him "real good feedback" from teammates and coaches. That includes new wide receivers coach Adam Henry and quarterback Eli Manning.

Already, Lewis has developed a strong relationship with Manning.

"I pick his brain all the time," said Lewis, who can still remember the No. 10 jersey he wore in an eighth-grade picture that his mother brought home for him not long after the Giants Super Bowl XLII. "[Manning] even comes up to me sometimes and asks me questions and practices hand signals and stuff.

"I think he sees the talent in me and what I can do."

What Lewis does is make plays downfield. He's almost 6-1, 200 pounds, with a rare ability to contort his body and make catches in the air.

That's a skill the Giants could use. They don't have that proven, big, vertical downfield threat on their roster, especially after allowing Rueben Randle to walk this offseason. The Giants likely top four receivers (Beckham, Victor Cruz, Dwayne Harris and Sterling Shepard) are all under 6-feet tall.

With the kind of talent that Lewis - originally an Ohio State recruit - possesses, it would appear he's worthy of being drafted. Except that his past affected his future.

Lewis was charged with two counts of rape as a high school football star in Ohio. A jury acquitted him on one count, but deadlocked on the second. He eventually pled guilty to a misdemeanor for falsification and was sentenced to three years probation, which comes up in September.

The way Lewis tells it, he had a "secret sex" relationship with the accuser and the sex was consensual. The whole ordeal is in the past and has made him stronger, but it was still something he had to try to explain to all 32 teams.

The Giants had conversations with Lewis' high school coach in the lead-up to the 2016 NFL Draft to check on his character. So did most teams. They called his high school coach, prep coach and college coaches for information on the man rather than the player.

"It was a situation where I didn't do anything wrong," Lewis said. "I think it played a part in the draft, but I'm not stressing about it. I think I'm in a blessed position right now. ... You go through situations in life where they make or break you and that situation made me who I am today.

"I really don't have character issues. I only had one run-in with the police and that was it. I feel like other people say, 'character and this and that.' But I'm not a bad guy at all."

The Giants apparently agreed. They were willing to sign him as a priority free agent after the draft. He received the largest signing bonus of any of the 14 players they added.

That hardly guarantees Lewis anything other than a few thousand dollars. He has his work cut out this spring and summer to even sniff the final roster.

The learning curve Lewis faces is massive. He played in a vertical, spread offense at Bowling Green where he wasn't asked to run the entire route tree. The offense was similar to what Baylor runs. A simple 15-yard curl route or double moves weren't part of the playbook. It makes Lewis' on-field transition that much more difficult.

But the early returns are promising. Lewis looks the part during practices in shorts and without pads. And so far, he seems to be taking Beckham's advice to heart.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.