The New York Giants are facing a crucial year three where production from young players is expected. General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll had a promising first year. Year two failed to deliver on higher expectations and stumbled to an ugly 6-11 record. Year three is where the fruits of their labor must come to fruition. This is a very young team with tons of potential to at least be competitive in a wild card race. While the roster isn’t yet on the level of the elite teams in the NFL, there are promising players worth monitoring.
Breakout Year On The Horizon
One of the players that have a chance to have a breakout year is third-year cornerback, Cor’Dale Flott. Flott is a former third-round player from the 2022 draft out of LSU. He came into the league as a 20-year-old with a high ceiling. Flott is a versatile cornerback, being able to play on the outside and in the slot. The downside to Flott is that he is on the lighter side, weighing under 180 pounds.
The Giants re-shaped their secondary this off-season. Adoree Jackson and Xavier McKinney are no longer on the team. The Giants replaced McKinney with third-year safety Dane Belton and rookie second-round draft pick, Tyler Nubin. Unfortunately, there is still a glaring need at the cornerback position opposite Deonte Banks. Banks, a first-rounder in the 2023 NFL Draft, at times played like a potential lock-down cornerback. Cor’Dale Flott was given a vote of confidence by HC Brian Daboll and was running with the first-team defense.
Flott did show promise this past season. Flott finished with one interception, five pass deflections, and a forced fumble. One of his better performances came against the Philadelphia Eagles when he shut down star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Brown finished the day with five targets, for one catch and only 11 yards. Flott shut him down and also finished with three pass breakups. With the Giants’ defense needing a replacement at the second cornerback spot, Flott has the chance to put those worries to rest. A strong summer by Flott may all but guarantee him the starting job on the outside. There are, however, other challengers.
Other Candidates for CB2
Nick McCloud
Nick McCloud is on a one-year contract, and while he is serviceable, he isn’t the long-term solution for the spot opposite of Deonte Banks. If McCloud is taking the majority of the snaps, then the expectation would be for him to be picked on by opposing quarterbacks.
Dru Phillips
Dru Phillips is a rookie third-rounder out of the University of Kentucky. He is smaller in stature at only 5’11, so the Giants may deploy him as a slot corner. Phillips does have experience playing as an outside corner during his time in Kentucky. Can he elevate his level of play in training camp to steal the job away from Flott? Every Giants fan was duped before with Tre Hawkins.
Aaron Robinson
Aaron Robinson is a true wild card in this position battle. Robinson is another former third-round draft choice out of UCF. Only 25, Robinson has missed essentially the past two years due to various injuries. Time will tell if he is in full health to compete. Robinson also has experience playing on the outside, perhaps this may be a great opportunity for him. There is no telling whether he will make the final roster at this time.
