By Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

EAST RUTHERFORD — In 1994, Hollywood released a football movie called "Little Giants."

There's no truth to the rumor Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is pitching a sequel called "Carolina Giants."

We're kidding, of course. There is no such rumor. Only this fact: The Giants have eight players who played for Gettleman during their general manager's previous job with the Panthers.

In addition to the player pipeline, Gettleman also arranged for head coach Pat Shurmur to hire offensive coordinator Mike Shula and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. He hired Mark Koncz to the personnel department. All three staffers were with Gettleman in Carolina.

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"When a player is available, the typical process is Dave and his staff will say, ‘Hey, listen, this guy is available, we feel like it’s an upgrade,'" Shurmur said. "Then we put our heads together, ‘What do we know about this player?’ Everyone is running around with a grade on, and then we just try to put together all the information we have on the player to make and educated decision."

The opposite of the Giants-Panthers connection is that former Giants keeping finding a home with the Seahawks: Offensive line coach Mike Solari, offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who soon could be joined by cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Here is a closer look at the eight players who played under Gettleman in Carolina and again with the Giants. How many will make the 53-man roster?

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CB Leonard Johnson

Year(s) with Panthers: 2016

Johnson signed with the Panthers after missing most of the previous season with a torn Achilles tendon. He totaled 30 tackled in 10 games before moving on to the Bills, where he made seven starts last season.

Johnson was a free agent until this week, when the Giants signed him after a tryout that included other veteran cornerbacks Alterraun Verner and Sterling Moore. All three were one-time teammates with the Buccaneers. He is expected to compete to be the nickel cornerback.

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"I was with (Getteman) in Carolina. He really believed in me coming off my Achilles surgery," Johnson said. "They said, 'We are going to bring you in. We know you are just off of the table.' I was three months after my surgery.

"I worked out, they signed me, I spent some time on injured reserve until I was 100 percent healthy and then we were rocking and rolling. You don't even understand: I was just so happy I got a call. The dream goes on."

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OG Chris Scott

Year(s) with the Panthers: 2013-16

Scott, 31, didn't play in the NFL last season but showed up at Giants rookie minicamp and flexed his muscle against younger players, earning a contract. He has been working with the second-team offense during training camp. Eight of Scott's 12 career starts in 45 games played were with the 2013 Panthers.

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media

WR Russell Shepard

Year(s) with Panthers: 2017

One of Gettleman's final acts with the Panthers was to sign Shepard to a three-year deal worth $10 million. Shepard didn't live up to the contract, totaling 17 catches for 202 yards and one touchdown before asking for his release. The bet on himself paid off as Gettleman acted fast to sign him again, keeping in mind his special teams contributions.

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"Even though I don't have the resume a lot of receivers have," Shepard said. "Being a special teams guy that contributes to offense, I knew I'd find a home. I just didn't know how quickly it was going to be or where it was going to be, but guys like myself tend to stick to teams."

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RB Jalen Simmons

Year(s) with the Panthers: 2016-17

Gettleman signed Simmons as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and the South Carolina State product spent at least part of each of the last two seasons on the Panthers practice squad, getting cut after the preseason both times.

He has never appeared in a regular-season game but has been the No. 4 running back in Giants camp, showing toughness running between the tackles.

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TE Scott Simonson

Year(s) with Panthers: 2015-17

Signing with the Giants in June was a double homecoming for Simonson, who reunited with Gettleman in addition to returning to New Jersey. The Middletown High School South product played in Super Bowl 50 with the Panthers in 2015, the year he made his only career catch. Simonson spent last season on injured reserve.

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RB Jonathan Stewart

Year(s) with the Panthers: 2008-17

Stewart's time with the Panthers pre-dates Gettleman's arrival, but he worked out a few contract negotiations that allowed him to stay around and become the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Coming off a career-worst 3.4 yards per carry, Stewart was released and wound up signing a two-year, $6.8 million deal with the Giants.

In an alternate universe where the Giants drafted a quarterback, Stewart might be in line to start. As is, he is the backup to possible 350-touch starter Saquon Barkley, still holding off second-year pro Wayne Gallman.

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"He's built a Super Bowl-contending team," Stewart said. "He knows what he's doing from that perspective. He's given me a shot. Whenever someone can believe in me out of millions of other people, that says a lot. I support him 100 percent."

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DT Robert Thomas

Year(s) with the Panthers: 2016

The Giants claimed Thomas off waivers from the Panthers in 2016, after Gettleman cut him just before the start of the regular season.

Six weeks later, Thomas made his Giants' debut and the trajectory has continued upward: He played in a career-high 15 games last season and is the backup nose tackle to Damon Harrison — who typically doesn't play in third-down pass-rushing situations — during training camp.

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"I know Gettleman is about competition," Thomas said. "He is going to bring in the best guys that he can. So you know the guys who are in that position are the guys who need to be in that position. He is very hands-on with the players, so you get to know him. He'll come talk to you and he knows everybody."

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media

CB Teddy Williams

Year(s) with Panthers: 2015-17

Williams suffered a season-ending injury on what was scripted to be his final play of the 2017 preseason and did not return. He was released in March and quickly caught on with the Giants — his seven organization, with zero career starts combined— because of his special teams ability.

Williams missed most of the second week of training camp to attend a personal matter at home, according to the Giants.

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“Mr. G and I have developed a great relationship over the last 3 1/2 years," Williams said. "From when I first met him, he is just a genuine, honest guy that I loved to be around. He makes you want to work hard, but he is a good guy to be around because he is a genuine person.”

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Ryan Dunleavy can be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy.