New York Giants: Is Julian Love A Star In The Making?

The New York Giants are slowly but surely rebuilding their defensive secondary. New York spent three of their draft picks on defensive backs in the 2019 NFL draft (four if counting Sam Beal). One of those rookies was fourth-round steal Julian Love out of Notre Dame.

Love had the opportunity to start five games for the Giants as a rookie after Jabrill Peppers went down with an injury. A cornerback coming out of college, Love was required to learn how to play every position in the secondary when he got to training camp last offseason (according to Julian Love on Fireside Giants). Fortunately, Julian is a quick learner and was able to impress the coaching staff while playing the safety position in practice. This led to him becoming Jabrill Peppers’s replacement for the final five games of the season.

Julian Love’s Impressive Rookie Season

In those five games, Julian Love was impressive. He totaled 35 combined tackles to go along with 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 passes defended, and 1 interception. The rookie played 405 snaps down the stretch and performed well in the run game and in coverage (PFF).

The Giants’ rookie lined up all over the defense. He played in the box, over the slot, and at free safety. Pro Football Focus listed Julian Love as a player who can “provide optimism” for the Giants heading into 2020. Giants fans should agree with that statement. I would go as far as saying that Julian Love is potentially a star in the making.

Barring any unforeseen trades or draft picks, Julian Love will start at safety and play alongside Jabrill Peppers in 2020. Love has the range and speed to cover the deep half as a free safety. He also displayed his strong tackling and comfortability in the box while playing strong safety in 2019. Julian’s impressive tackling is exhibited in the video below: