The New York Giants’ defense has been the subject of criticism this season. The unit has made history in the worst way possible, going 12 weeks without recording an interception; the last interception came in Week 1. Big Blue’s secondary has been a big disappointment.
However, despite not getting his hands on any passes this season, rookie safety Tyler Nubin has quietly established himself as a franchise cornerstone. The second-round draft choice is becoming a leader and top performer for the G-Men.
Tyler Nubin is becoming one of the Giants’ most dependable players
When the Giants selected Nubin with the No. 47 pick in the NFL Draft, they were attempting to fill the void left behind by safety Xavier McKinney. The former 2020 second-round pick departed for Green Bay in free agency, leaving a massive hole in the Giants’ defensive lineup.
As a result, Nubin entered the team with high expectations and big shoes to fill. While he isn’t putting up the Defensive Player of the Year campaign that McKinney is turning in for the Packers, Nubin has still been impressive and is establishing himself as a quality starter in New York’s secondary.
This season, Nubin has already totaled 93 combined tackles which is tied with inside linebacker Bobby Okereke for the most on the team. He also has four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass defense. Nubin has yet to surrender a single touchdown in coverage and has let up only 26 completions on 40 targets for 340 yards.
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As The Draft Network’s Justin Dunbar highlighted recently, Nubin has grown and gotten better with each passing month. He averaged 5.25 tackles per game in September, elevating to 7.75 tackles per game in October, and recording three straight games with 12 tackles to close out November, elevating his average to 10.25 tackles per game in that month.
Nubin has been on the field for 100% of the Giants’ defensive snaps this season; an incredible feat to accomplish as a rookie. The Giants have been relying on Nubin to be the glue of their secondary as a rookie and he is delivering. Regardless of how bad this season has been, the Giants can be excited about what they have in Nubin going forward.
