5 breakout stars to watch for New York Giants in 2021

3. New York Giants breakout stars – CB Darnay Holmes

One area where Gettleman hasn’t gotten too much credit for the Giants is his ability to find late-round contributors for the active roster. Much of the attention on Gettleman’s drafting has been questionable early decisions such as taking Barkley at no. 2 in 2018 or picking Jones to be the franchise quarterback a year later, but there have been plenty of late selections who end up being key contributors to the roster.

One guy with that potential is cornerback Darnay Holmes, the Giants’ fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft. Given the team’s desperate need for quality corners, Holmes got quickly thrown into the deep end of the pool, earning quality reps in New York’s secondary, primarily working out of the slot.

Holmes did have his fair share of lumps as he adjusted to the league but he did make his presence felt, recording an interception and defending five passes. The Giants ended up giving Holmes five starts as his confidence grew through the course of the season, a promising development for his 2021 role.

James Bradberry remains entrenched as New York’s top corner but the competition for playing time in the other slots is an interesting one between younger players like Holmes, Julian Love, and Sam Beal. If Holmes can stand out amongst this group and earn even more reps it would be a very positive development for Patrick Graham’s defense.