JUNE 20, 2008

EAST RUTHERDFORD, NJ - The Giants’ competitions at wide receiver and returner added another contestant today when the team signed second-year pro Craphonso Thorpe.



The Giants claimed WR Craphonso Thorpe and signed sixth round pick DE Henderson
The Giants claimed Thorpe off waivers after his release earlier this week by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The team also announced it has signed the second of its two sixth-round draft choices (No. 199 overall), defensive end Robert Henderson of Southern Mississippi, and waived defensive back Miguel Scott.

The transactions leave the Giants’ roster at 86 players. That includes their other six draft choices, all of whom are unsigned at this point. As the remaining six draft choices are signed, a player must be waived for the team to remain at the 80-man limit.

Thorpe, a 6-foot, 187-pounder, played five games last season for the Indianapolis Colts. He caught 12 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, returned 15 kickoffs for 318 yards (a 21.2-yard average) and brought back six punts for 31 yards (5.2-yard average). He had a long kickoff return of 40 yards and a long punt return of 29 yards.

Thorpe’s best game was in the regular season finale against Tennessee, when he caught six passes for 23 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown.

Thorpe was signed by the Colts off their practice squad on Oct. 6. He was a fourth-round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005 (the 116th overall selection) and spent time on the practice squads of the Chiefs, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions before joining the Colts.

At Florida State, Thorpe played in 48 games with 21 starts. He caught 123 passes for 2,153 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also averaged 21/7 yards on 39 kickoff returns.

A native of Tallahassee, Fla., Thorpe was born on June 27, 1983.

Henderson played in 46 games with 33 starts at defensive end for Southern Mississippi. His career totals include 173 tackles (115 solo), 13.5 sacks for minus 66 yards and 29.5 stops for losses of 123 yards.