Alpha of alphas.
New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown put that expectation on Tyler Nubin shortly after the Giants drafted the Minnesota Golden Gopher safety in Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Brown was, to say the least, fired up that the Giants were able to snag Nubin with the 47th overall pick in the draft.
“Maybe some people said they wish he would have ran faster. When he came here for his physical, I gave him a big hug, and I was like, you know what, I feel like I got my favorite food on discount because the tape speaks for itself,” Brown said.
“So. I’m glad he’s here. When you meet him, he has one of those personalities where he can become like the alpha of alphas.”
“Alpha of alphas”, of course, meant that Brown was — and is — expecting that Nubin will one day become the leader of the Giants’ defense.
Right now, Dexter Lawrence is the unquestioned leader of the defense. He is, in fact, probably the leader of the football team. Lawrence, Bobby Okereke and Brian Burns were also voted as captains by Giants teammates.
Nubin may not yet be a captain. He does not run from the idea, though, that even in just his second season he is a leader. And that the organization expects his leadership role to grow.
“He’s [Brown] just talking about who I am. I can’t change who I am,” Nubin said. “I feel like I’m a natural born leader. I always have been. On every team that I’ve been on, eventually I find myself on a leadership role just because of how I go about my business.
“I’m not going to change anything. If that happens here at this level, that’s great. I go about my business to serve the world. I think other people recognize that. I don’t really have to think about it.“
Jevon Holland, signed as a free agent to start next to Nubin, has been impressed.
“Tyler’s a great communicator,” Holland daid. “He’s a great player. He’s fiery. He’s got all the attitude, all the spunk. I love playing next to Tyler. He does a great job.”
One thing Nubin wants to change in his second NFL season is the big fat zero in his interception column for 2024. After intercepting 13 passes and adding 11 passes defensed in 55 games at Minnesota, Nubin had no interceptions and just a single pass defensed in 13 games as a rookie.
“I feel like it’s [creating turnovers] always going to come with a learning curve,” Nubin said. “It’s going to come from college to the NFL. Being able to put myself in positions to actually make those plays, that’s what I’m learning to do this year.
“Obviously, the game is a lot different than college. Now I’m learning to put myself in those positions and when I do, I’m going to make the play.”
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