Mankato East product Craig Dahl has survived the final cut with the NFL’s New York Giants and is set to begin his NFL career next week.

Dahl, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound defensive back, played well during the preseason for the Giants in his first NFL training camp. The East graduate went on to star for four years with the North Dakota State University football team.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Dahl earned his roster spot with impressive play at safety. “We think (Dahl) will be good on special teams,” Coughlin said.

The news was not nearly as good for Gustavus Adolphus graduate Ryan Hoag as he was one of 23 players cut from the Washington Redskins Saturday.

Hoag, in his fifth consecutive year as part of an NFL training camp, was signed by Washington in January 2007. He attended training camp with the Minnesota Vikings in 2005 and 2006 but was released in the team’s final cut each year.

In 2004, Hoag spent 13 games on the Vikings’ practice squad and practiced with the New York Giants in 2003 after going through training camp with the Oakland Raiders. Hoag was drafted by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft as the last selection, earning the title of “Mr. Irrelevant.”

Hoag, a 2003 graduate of Gustavus, was a two-time All-MIAC wide receiver for the Gusties and earned All-America honors in track and field.