NY Giants UDFAs: Can Ben Mann replace Casey Kreiter as long snapper?

Ben Mann snapping for Boston College against Notre Dame. | Boston College Athletic Department

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. 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 who took over form DeOssie and solidified the position for another six seasons, from 2020 to 2025.