On Day two of the 2024 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected two players in the second and third rounds. In the second round, Big Blue picked a 22-year-old Safety from the University of Minnesota named Tyler Nubin with the 47th overall pick, which they acquired from Seattle in a trade involving Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Meanwhile, in the third round, Big Blue chose 22-year-old cornerback Andru Phillips from the University of Kentucky with the 70th overall pick.
After the Giants addressed their receiving group by drafting Malik Nabers sixth overall, they had to address positions of need in their secondary. Safety was a position of need for the G-men after they lost starting safety and defensive captain Xavier McKinney to free agency. Nubin should move into a role as one of the Giants' starting safeties alongside Jason Pinnock, next season.
Phillips joins a young Giant cornerback group that features two starters ahead of him on the depth chart. Those starters are Cor'Dale Flott, 22, and Deonte Banks, 23. Currently, Phillips is thought to slide in behind Flott as the back-up left cornerback but maintaining that spot will not be easy. This is because Tre Hawkins III played in 17 games last season and will compete for minutes with Phillips.
Without further ado, let's dive in and find out more about the G-Men's second and third round draft picks from the 2024 NFL Draft.
Tyler Nubin
Size: 6'1", 199 pounds
Position: Safety
Honors: NFL Combine Invite, Senior Bowl Invite, Sporting News First Team All-American (2023), AP Second Team All-American (2023), All-Big Ten First Team (2023), Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (2x in 2023)
Nubin played four years at the University of Minnesota, finishing with 55 games played and a program record 13 interceptions. 2023 was his senior year and he finished his collegiate career strong playing in all 12 of his team's games, finishing tied for second on the Golden Gophers with 53 tackles and leading the team with 5 interceptions.
Talented safety prospect with the size, length and instincts that teams are looking for to shore up the back end. Nubin has the ability to play as an interchangeable safety but will make his money as a ball thief. He's rangy over the top in two-high safety looks and plays chess in the middle of the field, using instincts to think along with the quarterback and pounce on throws from an angle. He's average in man coverage and might lack ideal top-end speed, but his anticipation and discipline help make up for that. He's capable in run support, but his pursuit angles get him beat outside. Nubin's traits, instincts and ball skills give him an opportunity to become a successful long-term starter. - NFL.com
Nubin's additional strengths include being "athletic and light on his feet in open-field coverage" and being a "high end ball tracker with the ball skills to flip the field on the pro level." Some weaknesses Nubin will have to work on include his speed and pursuit angles.
It's no surprise that Nubin had a stellar career playing D-1 College Football because he comes from a family of college football players. Nubin's father, Rodney played as a running back/cornerback at Eastern Michigan, while his uncle, Steve King, played in the defensive backfield with Ty Law and Charles Woodson at Michigan.
Nubin met with reporters recently and when asked what he is bringing to the Giants, the safety responded:
"I'm an everything player. I feel like I'm a guy that can do it all on the field. I like to call myself a Swiss Army knife. I can move around everywhere. I can blitz. I am come down and hit the box, I can play over the top. Anywhere on the field I'm comfortable."
Andru Phillips
Size: 5’11”, 190 pounds
Position: Cornerback
Honors: Senior Bowl Invite, NFL Combine Invite
Phillips comes to New York on the backs of a strong college football career at the University of Kentucky. While there, he played in 38 games (16 starts) over the course of three seasons. During those games, he had 82 tackles to go with 10 pass break ups and three tackles for a loss. Of those 82 tackles, 47 came in his senior year, when he also had five pass break ups which were good for second on the Wildcats.
Some of Phillips's strengths include having a low and balanced backpedal "for quicker reaction time" and "quick feet and easy hips to hit lateral transitions fairly smoothly." Weaknesses that Phillips will look to sure up include developing the "instincts and anticipation for heavy ball production" and defending against receivers who are bigger than him.
Phillips' tape features a high number of both completions and drops that should have been completions, but that could change in a different scheme and with additional experience. He's still green, with just two years of real game experience, and often played too loose in Kentucky's zone cover schemes. Phillips lacks the anticipation to contest catches at a high enough rate from zone but does have the athleticism to play more man coverage, with the tools to stay sticky on routes. He's an ardent run supporter with excellent toughness but needs to finish tackles at a higher rate. Scheme fit might be critical, along with proving he can play from the slot, but his best football could be ahead of him. - NFL.com
Giants Fill Needs Well on Day 2
Before the draft the Giants traded for Brian Burns, a two-time pro bowl edge rusher. This means that the Giants pass rushing game is looking good heading into the season, but coming into the draft, their secondary needed help. Giants general manager Joe Schoen drafted a safety and a cornerback in the second round of this draft who should replace some of the production left behind by Xavier McKinney.
In terms of their NFL readiness, Nubin has the size and athleticism as well as the mental attributes to be a starter next season. On the other hand, Phillips is "still green" and it may take a year or two for him to become a starter. Overall, the Giants and Joe Schoen came out a better football team after day two of the NFL Draft.
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