Pro Football Focus chooses nickel cornerback
Considering that the New York Giants were a 3-14 football team in 2024 it isn’t easy to identify underrated players from last season’s roster.
In identifying the most underrated players on every team’s roster, Pro Football Focus chose nickel cornerback Dru Phillips for the Giants.
PFF writes:
Phillips was thrust into a key role as a rookie, manning the slot and playing more than 600 defensive snaps in a potential sink-or-swim scenario for the third-round pick out of Kentucky. To Phillips’ credit, he performed at a high level despite missing some time with injuries, finishing with a 77.5 PFF overall grade — a top-10 mark for the position.
Phillips was one of just eight cornerbacks to rank in the top 25 in PFF coverage grade (75.8) and PFF run-defense grade (78.1) in 2024 and one of just three (Cooper DeJean and Kyler Gordon) to do it while spending the majority of his snaps in the slot, where his run-defense skills come into play more often.
Phillips is an excellent choice, with his ability perhaps hidden by how poorly the Giants played as a team.
It’s hard to actually find other players who should have been considered. Micah McFadden? Jermaine Eluemunor?
Who would your choice be?
