Why the Giants should, and shouldn’t, go after these players in the draft
By Ryan Morik
Why the Giants should go after a cornerback:
The Giants had the third-worst coverage defense last year, better than only the Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins. DeAndre Baker’s coverage grade was a 45.6, while Corey Balentine’s was a 29.8. They combined to allow 1,226 yards and 12 touchdowns. The defense as a whole allowed 273.5 passing yards per game, the fifth-most in the NFL. Their secondary is, simply put, bad. Jeff Okudah is, without a doubt, the best corner in the draft, and is likely to be a top-five pick.
Why the Giants shouldn’t go after a cornerback:
Despite Baker’s and Ballentine’s struggles, it’s tough to expect much out of rookie corners. Rookie corners, more likely than not, spent their entire college careers lining up against guys who will make a significant impact, if any, at the professional level. Rookie secondary players have growing pains. From Weeks 12 to 15, Baker had the sixth-best coverage grade among qualified cornerbacks, while six of his seven pass breakups came in the second half. If that pace keeps up, Baker can surprise a lot of people in his second season, despite a new defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham.
James Bradberry was a nice offseason pickup. He faced some of the NFL’s best receivers in the NFC South, allowing just five catches, 51 yards, and one touchdown to Michael Thomas in two games last season, and six catches for 94 yards to Julio Jones in two games in 2019.