Giants UDFAs: Get to know O’Donnell Fortune, CB, South Carolina

Can Fortune add to the Giants’ depth in the secondary?

The New York Giants didn’t bring in many defenders when they made contract offers to undrafted free agents.

Just five of their (unofficial) 13 UDFA signings were on the defensive side of the ball. That would seemingly give their defensive UDFAs to have a better chance of making the 53-man roster, or at least the practice squad. Unfortunately, most of the Giants’ high-profile additions in free agency and the draft were defenders.

Cornerback O’Donnell Fortune is a fifth-year senior who played 33 games for South Carolina over the last three years. He’s matched up against some of the best receivers in the SEC over that time, and was the defensive MVP at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl thanks to a 65-yard pick-six.

Does he have what it takes to make the Giants’ roster?

What does he bring?

Instincts and processing are Fortune’s calling cards on the field. He isn’t a particularly good athlete (more on that in a bit), but he sees the field well and processes quickly. Fortune had nine passes defensed, five interceptions, and a forced fumble over the last two years at South Carolina, and he shows good awareness on tape. He’s quick to transition between cover corner and run defender, and likewise has a very quick trigger when playing downhill from deeper coverage zones.

And while he doesn’t test out as quick or explosive, he is a fluid and efficient mover on the field.

His processing and fluidity allow him to play faster than he tests, and Fortune did not test well at all as an athlete. He has solid length and initial burst, but everything else is poor.

Fortune doesn’t have the athletic ability to really stick with players in man coverage, run with them down the field, or recover if initially beaten.

That said, his size, processing, burst, and hair trigger playing downhill could make him an intriguing candidate for a move to free safety. It could also give him more of an opportunity to make the kind of splash plays that can help to earn him a roster spot.

That may also be a better opportunity for him than cornerback overall. While the Giants upgraded their starting defense with Javon Holland, their depth at safety is suspect beyond Dane Belton.

Can he stick?

The big question with Fortune is his athleticism.

His athletic profile is probably closest to that of a strong safety, however he’s far smaller than most strong safeties at 185 pounds. So it might be best to consider him a “defensive back” until we see how he’s deployed in camp.

From that perspective, Fortune is likely in competition with players like fellow rookie Korie Black, or veterans like Tre Hawkins III, Greg Stroman Jr., Art Green, or Raheem Layne for a spot on the depth chart.

Special teams play will be crucial to determining whether Fortune can stick on the roster, and a spot on the practice squad is certainly possible.