A depleted Giants secondary looks to get a boost from Darnay Holmes.
The Giants cornerback unit started off on the wrong foot this offseason.
Their projected starting cornerback Deandre Baker was arrested on four counts of aggravated assault. He is now on the Commissioner’s exempt list and has to stay away from the team.
Luckily for the Giants, they drafted Darnay Holmes in the 4th round of this year’s draft. And word on street is that he’s been one of the better players in the secondary in training camp.
Holmes has made a name for himself early with the Giants. He has made a plethora of plays at training camp. One of which was a diving interception. The play would’ve earned more praise if it wasn’t for Holmes fumbling on the return.
https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1296871112609939456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1296871112609939456%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fempiresportsmedia.com%2Fnew-york-giants%2Fnew-york-giants-rookie-db-darnay-holmes-standing-out-at-practice%2F
The fumble may have landed Holmes on Coach Judge’s bad side, but he was quick to fix his mistake. Throughout all of practice Holmes was able to keep up with some of the Giants’ top receivers in one-on-one drills. And again, was able to pick off Daniel Jones in the red zone.
Just like all rookies in training camp, he had his ups and downs, but Holmes has made a great first impression on his coaches.
"“He’s very attentive. I’m not surprised to see him improve day by day. I was pleased with the way he played today. I’m sure there are things that he has to clean up. I have a couple of things off of the top of my mind right now, as I do with every player on the team. But I was pleased with the way he came out and competed today.”Head coach Joe Judge (via Giants.com)"
Coming out of UCLA, Holmes was always known as a ball-hawk. He had a total of eight interceptions and 17 pass deflections. So, the interceptions at training camp shouldn’t be a surprise.
Holmes made a name for himself after a solid showing at the Senior Bowl. He then continued to improve his draft stock after a fantastic combine where he killed the on-field drills. Holmes even received praise from Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders for his combine performance.
Holmes went through most of the draft process being highlighted as a nickel corner because of his height. At just 5’9 3/4″, he is an undersized corner. It will be hard for him to go up against taller corners, but his unique athleticism will help to make it harder for receivers to make the catch.
Holmes would definitely have been better suited to start his career as a slot corner, but the Giants need him now more than ever to start on the outside. However, Holmes should rise to the challenge.