The New York Giants revamped their secondary this offseason and added some exciting talents to the defensive backfield through the 2024 NFL Draft. One of their most intriguing selections came in the second round when the G-Men landed Tyler Nubin, the top-ranked safety in the draft class.
Nubin is currently battling it out with third-year safety Dane Belton for the starting free safety job at training camp. Nubin recently recovered from a calf injury that kept him sidelined for a number of practices and is looking to make up ground and win that starting job.
The Giants have great confidence in Nubin who completed a prolific career at Minnesota this past year. If he is able to step into the defense and make an immediate impact, Nubin could find himself competing for end-of-season accolades.
NFL.com names Tyler Nubin a “dark-horse” DROTY candidate
While ranking the top-10 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates for the upcoming season, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave an honorable mention to the Giants’ second-round pick, listing Nubin as his “dark-horse” candidate:
“Nubin was a four-year starter at Minnesota and his tape is filled with the consistent anticipation and instincts one might expect from a player with so much experience,” Zierlein wrote (h/t Giants.com). “His recognition talent and ball skills give him a chance to make plays on the football at a high enough rate to make his way into the DROY conversation.”
The last time the Giants had a player named the Defensive Rookie of the Year was back in 1981 with a player by the name of Lawrence Taylor — sound familiar? Taylor is one of the greatest players in NFL history. Nubin would be joining a truly elite company if he were to land the accolade at season’s end.
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The Giants have high expectations for Nubin
It was revealed during HBO’s Hard Knocks that the Giants planned to select Nubin in the second round if their top cornerback prospects were off the board. Knowing that would likely be the case, general manager Joe Schoen and his front-office executives agreed that Nubin would be the pick.
They described Nubin as the top safety in the class — a label he received from many NFL Draft analysis outlets, including Pro Football Focus:
“Nubin possesses the athleticism, football IQ and run-defense potential to be a versatile and impactful safety in any scheme, though he would likely make the most plays in a system that consistently uses two-deep coverages, allowing him to play free, robber and box safety roles,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote.
During his five-year collegiate career, Nubin developed into an all-time great for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He finished his career with 13 interceptions, making him the program’s all-time career record-holder ahead of other NFL greats such as Antoine Winfield Jr.
In his final collegiate season, Nubin racked up 53 combined tackles, four pass defenses, and five interceptions. He was a playmaker all over the field, leading Minnesota’s defense and cementing himself as a top prospect in the draft class.
Nubin has big shoes to fill as he steps into the Giants’ secondary. The departure of safety Xavier McKinney this offseason left Big Blue with a void to fill in their defensive backfield. Nubin will aim to fill that void and earn the starting free safety job as a rookie.
