New York Giants 2022 Training Camp Roster Preview: CB CorDale Flott

What kind of a role can rookie cornerback Cor'Dale Flott have in the defnese this season?

With Derek Stingley Jr off the board with the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, the New York Giants still dipped into the Tigers' defensive backfield for cornerback Cor’Dale Flott in the third round.

Flott was part of the 2019 LSU Tigers, who went undefeated and won the National Championship later that year. He was deployed as a chess piece at LSU to address whatever the Tigers needed defensively. That versatility came in handy when the Tigers had injuries to their defensive backfield.

Throughout his college career, Flott played primarily as the slot cornerback but would also play as an outside corner, deep safety, and box safety. He picked up the adoring nickname “Cor’Dale Slot” from LSU fans for his play as a slot corner, where last season, he posted a team-best 68.4 coverage rating.

Physically, Flott is an above-average athlete with a 4.52 forty-yard dash, 4.1 short shuttle, and a 6.94 three-cone. A wiry thin frame could be cause for concern holding up through a physically taxing NFL season that comes with more snaps than in college, but that remains to be seen.

What He Brings

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As a prospect, Flott still has a lot of work to do to become a starter-quality player at the next level. The athleticism is there, but as far as the film goes, Flott has been inconsistent in coverage. Effort is no question, but the technique needs work.

Regarding productivity, Flott was targeted in coverage 45 times this past season, allowing 23 catches for 249 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and five passes broken up for a coverage rating of 73.3. Thirty-seven of those targets came while Flott was working as a nickel corner, where Flott posted a coverage rating of just 68.4.

In man coverage, Flott was targeted 27 times and allowed just ten completions in 2021. While the numbers say Flott excels in man coverage, the tape shows that he would often just out-muscle his matchups instead of winning with technique.

Despite his reputation as a slot defender, Flott might be bumped outside in the NFL due to his frame and inability to consistently shed blockers, making him somewhat of a liability in run defense.

Flott has no college experience as a returner, but he has played on kick coverage, punt return teams, and field-goal block units.

His Contract

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The Giants signed Flott to a three-year contract worth $5,241,844, with $992,248 guaranteed. Flott will carry a cap hit of $953,062 in 2022, $1,191,328 in 2023, $1,429,594 in 2024, and $1,667,860 in 2025. He takes up just .46% of the Giants' 2022 salary cap.

Roster Projection/Expectations

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The Flott selection by the Giants was somewhat puzzling to some analysts due to the potential logjam it created at slot corner. In 2021, Darnay Holmes and Julian Love played the most slot snaps for the Giants, both with 211 snaps.

When taking a step back and looking at the slot corner spot for the Giants, though, it’s relatively wide open. Aaron Robinson is expected to play primarily on the outside this season, opposite Adoree’ Jackson. Love is expected to play more of a safety role with Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan both gone.

That leaves Darnay Holmes as the primary competition for Flott at nickel. While Holmes has the leg up right now, there will be snaps at nickel for Flott. Holmes has yet to remain healthy for an entire season in his two seasons in the NFL, missing four games in 2020 and six in 2021.

Flott also offers an inside-out versatility that few players in this Giants secondary can offer. No Giants players in 2021 played over 100 snaps at both slot corner and outside corner, which Flott did in 2020 and 2021 for the Tigers.

Given the investment of draft capital, athleticism, potential, and positional versatility, Flott will be a contributor to the roster this year, barring any unforeseen issues.

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