It sounds like the New York Giants’ plan at the second boundary cornerback opposite 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks is to give Cor’Dale Flott first crack at winning that job.
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The Giants drafted cornerback Andru Phillips in Round 3, 70th overall, in the 2024 NFL Draft. Phillips has inside/outside versatility, but GM Joe Schoen said after selecting him that Phillips would initially play in the slot.
On Friday, Phillips made clear he prefers to play in the slot.
“I can play both, but preferably the nickel position,” Phillips said. “I remember when I was growing up people thought nickel was almost a bad thing. Kind of just throwing a guy in there. Especially with how the game is going now and how there is so much passing in the league – and also in college. When I went to Kentucky, I always wanted to play nickel the whole time. I didn’t really get an opportunity until my junior year. Once I got the opportunity I kind of like – I embodied it. I felt like it’s who I was. That’s what I did best, so I went all in on it.”
Head coach Brian Daboll, asked Saturday about the second boundary cornerback spot, said he has “a lot of confidence” in Flott.
A third-round pick out of LSU in 2022, Flott has played in 27 games with 13 starts over two NFL seasons. He has split time between the slot and outside positions.
In 2022, Flott played 272 snaps as a wide cornerback and just 15 in the slot. Last season, he played 432 snaps in the slot and just 45 on the boundary.
If Phillips is going to be the nickel cornerback, the Giants’ options on the outside include Flott, Nick McCloud and Tre Hawkins III.
