When the New York Giants signed veteran cornerback Leon Hall on Thursday, it immediately stirred up questions about first-round pick Eli Apple and his role in 2016.

Related New York Giants sign cornerback Leon Hall

Head coach Ben McAdoo had previously noted the team’s rookies would likely see substantial playing time this season, but depth in the secondary now seems unexpectedly crowded. Despite that, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo still anticipates Apple receiving plenty of snaps.

“We’ll get him in there,” Spagnuolo told reporters. “There’s a lot of downs in this league now with three wide receivers, four wide receivers, so I don’t anticipate that being a problem.”

Of course, Apple will still have to earn his way onto the field first. Something Spagnuolo implied is a work in progress.

“Look, Eli has a long way to go, too. I like what he’s doing to this point, but it’s going to be a process,” Spagnuolo added. “We know all the games are completely different from practice or even preseason games, so we’ll see where we’re at.”

Apple, who was criticized early in training camp for being too “handsy,” has steadily improved his game, but it’s a marathon and not a sprint. The Giants remain high on their first-round pick, who appears to be their future at the position.

“I was at Ohio State two or three years ago, spent some time with Urban and his coaches and I know they teach press skills very similar to the way we do it,” Spagnuolo said. “So as soon as he comes here and he’s doing the techniques that we would’ve been teaching anyway, it’s just natural for him. For me, that’s what impressed me from day one. Very patient at the line of scrimmage against wide receivers and he’ll compete. I need him to talk a little louder, but that’ll come when he gets a little more comfortable.”

Too many talented players, too few positions. What a wonderful problem for the Giants to have for a change.