Top Cornerbacks New York Giants Could Target in 2025 Draft

The Giants' secondary has been through another rut of a season with injuries and inexperienced play which will likely force them to turn toward college prospects.

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson celebrates a touchdown after intercepting USC quarterback Miller Moss during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With their 2024 season spiraling out of control and a daunting offseason looming, the New York Giants must reckon with their current roster's failures and look ahead to potentially fixing them in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

Among the positions they should expect to be shopping for, one of the most important outside of the quarterback will be reinforcing their secondary, which has been one of the worst in the league despite receiving a substantial investment from the front office in the offseason. 

While Joe Schoen appears to have found two gems last April in slot corner Andru Phillips, who is having one of the best campaigns of any rookie at his position, and safety Tyler Nubin, who has been pacing the defense in tackles this season, the rest of the cornerback equation has been been a disaster thanks to a mix of injuries and mediocre production in coverage. 

Following their Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Giants' defense ranks 18th with a coverage grade of 79.1, which gets sugarcoated by their seventh-best efforts inside the red zone. 

Even with that strength, Shane Bowen’s group has given up 12 touchdowns in the air, which is just outside of the top 10. It has also been the worst at forcing turnovers, with just one interception on the year. 

None of the names that started the season in their main rotation have been very efficient. Three of their top perimeter corners, including Nick McCloud, recently released for refusing a pay cut, have allowed receptions on over 68.8 percent of their targets. The result has been over 2,000 yards of aerial offense against them and nearly 1,000 after the catch, with an opposing passer rating of 114.5. 

There have also been ailments that have kept players out of the team’s contests by a combined 17 games and the questions of effort that have affected the impact of guys expected to serve as the core of the team’s defensive identity. Instead, They have looked outmatched, out-talented, and out-hustled, which is a sign that new additions may have to be made for the new selections in this April’s draft. 

No matter where the dominoes of their selections fall, the Giants will look at several names on the board to satisfy their lingering needs in the deep secondary. Three potential candidates from PFF’s big board stand out and could be on the team’s radar.

Will Johnson, Michigan

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (2) celebrates a touchdown after intercepting USC quarterback Miller Moss (7) during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With their 2024 season spiraling out of control and a daunting offseason looming, the New York Giants must reckon with their current roster's failures and look ahead to potentially fixing them in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

Among the positions they should expect to be shopping for, one of the most important outside of the quarterback will be reinforcing their secondary, which has been one of the worst in the league despite receiving a substantial investment from the front office in the offseason. 

While Joe Schoen appears to have found two gems last April in slot corner Andru Phillips, who is having one of the best campaigns of any rookie at his position, and safety Tyler Nubin, who has been pacing the defense in tackles this season, the rest of the cornerback equation has been a disaster thanks to a mix of injuries and mediocre production in coverage. 

Following their Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Giants' defense ranks 18th with a coverage grade of 79.1, which gets sugarcoated by theire. 

Even with that strength, Shane Bowen’s group has given up 12 touchdowns in the air, just outside the top 10. It has also been the worst at forcing turnovers, with just one interception on the year. 

None of the names that started the season in their main rotation have been very efficient. Three of their top perimeter corners, including Nick McCloud, recently released for refusing a pay cut, have allowed receptions on over 68.8 percent of their targets. The result has been over 2,000 yards of aerial offense against them and nearly 1,000 after the catch, with an opposing passer rating of 114.5. 

There have also been ailments that have kept players out of the team’s contests by a combined 17 games and the questions of effort that have affected the impact of guys expected to serve as the core of the team’s defensive identity. Instead, They have looked outmatched, out-talented, and out-hustled, which is a sign that new additions may have to be made for the new selections in this April’s draft. 

No matter where the dominoes of their selections fall, the Giants will look at several names on the board to satisfy their lingering needs in the deep secondary. Three potential candidates stand out and could be on the team’s radar.

Shavon Revel, East Carolina

Nov 18, 2023; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen wide receiver Regis Velez (84) runs the ball against East Carolina Pirates defensive back Shavon Revel (28) during the second quarter at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Looking beyond the names from the power conferences, East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel is another prospect gaining some early steam and climbing up the big board for teams searching for secondary help. 

While he is placed 26th on PFF’s list for overall players and 10th on their Giants board, Revel has excelled in his third season with the Pirates and risen to the eighth-best-rated cornerback prospect in the 2025 class. 

His tenure got off to a shaky start in his freshman season as he played in very limited snaps, but he has changed his game completely after earning a spot in the team’s starting secondary. 

Since that disappointing debut, Revel has played in 15 games for East Carolina and has been riding consecutive coverage grades above 81.5. He’s participated in 444 coverage snaps, mostly from the perimeter spot, and allowed just 27 receptions on 64 targets (38.1 percent completion rating) for 445 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. 

Revel’s 2023 campaign was the most active, with 501 snaps outside and 117 from inside the box, the biggest indicator of his football talent. That season, he racked up a career-high 46 tackles with a 5.0 percent missed tackle rate, 19 stops, only 250 yards receiving, including 55 after the catch, and ten pass deflections. 

Unlike Johnson, Revel has experience making things happen in man and zone coverages. He has the size and length—6-3 and 193 pounds—to better match up with elite pass catchers and give them a fight throughout their route progression. He also has the ballhawk instincts to find the ball and make a play on it without getting heavily penalized. 

The 2024 season has been a question mark for the young man’s draft case as he suffered a season-ending ACL injury just three weeks into the year, but one has to look behind it to the meaningful part of his collegiate timeline. It's expected he will be healthy in time to contribute his services to a team at the NFL level and will be courted by one to deploy his versatile talents in the first two days of the draft.

The Giants have had their own injury woes over the last several seasons. Still, if he stays healthy as he did during his sophomore season, Revel can offer the Giants another premium outside corner to compete with their current collection that should include Deonte Banks, Tre Hawkins III, and Cor’Dale Flott next summer.

Jahdae Barron, Texas

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron (7) celebrates an interception in the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. / Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

This player is further down the big board but would be a stud to partner with Dru Phillips in the slot corner position, which is Jahdae Barron of the Texas Longhorns. 

Barron is currently PFF’s No. 1 rated cornerback out of 842 eligible for selection this April but is hidden in the 26th overall spot on their board and 14th for New York. That placement doesn’t fully respect his game at the slot position, where he has risen in three years with Texas to a. 90.7 coverage grade in 501 defensive snaps.

A senior with the Longhorns, Barron has played 36 total games in the last three seasons and amassed 124 total tackles, 62 stops, seven pass deflections, two sacks, and six interceptions. It seems like anywhere he goes, he has his pulse on the football and makes it difficult for receivers to make plays over the middle, as he boasts a sub-58.3 completion percentage with zero touchdowns allowed since the start of the 2023 season.

In nine games this season, Barron has participated in 276 coverage snaps, mostly out of a changed role to the perimeter, where he has a 58.3 completion percentage and has given up 21 targets for a career-best 134 yards and a 31.5 passer rating. He doesn’t force much pressure on the quarterback but hasn’t whiffed on more than five catches in any game and for more than 31 yards. 

Barron’s recent assignment doesn’t mean he can’t be drafted and thrown back in the slot hole where the Giants should look to use him if he is chosen. Out of his five slot corners on Texas’s roster, he has played in the second most snaps and given up just seven receptions for 57 yards (43 after the catch) while forcing an interception to outpace the work of three of the Giants corners who’ve had slot contributions this season. 

Given his background. Barron is a highly versatile player who can assist the Giants in numerous ways that no other member of their secondary can say. He has bright numbers in both man and zone coverage looks, the former being where he plays with strength and a high motor and secures tackles for minimal damage against both the run and the pass. 

Some of the Giants' corners have been caught napping on several big plays downfield. Barron has the field vision to identify the main threats both pre- and post-snap and get ahead of them with speed and leverage. His hand skills are also among the best, and he does a good job playing for the ball and not roughing up receivers illegally to force his incompletions. 

The Giants have been engaged in a guessing game for too long with their slot position and have finally found one solid end of the equation with Andru Phillips. Now they must complete the pairing, and snagging Jahdae Barron if he secretly falls down the board wouldn’t be a difficult decision to make.

Next. Draft Class Matches Giants Needs. How 2025 Draft Class' Strengths Match Up to Giants' Emerging Needs. dark

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