Who should start at cornerback for the NY Giants with James Bradberry?
By David Solow
Darnay Holmes:
The Case for Darnay Holmes: Darnay Holmes was the most impressive cornerback at the 2020 NFL combine. He was described as “flawless and unbelievable” by Deion Sanders. High praise from Sanders for a cornerback is like a basketball player getting complimented by Michael Jordan.
“I thought that young man from UCLA earlier today, Darnay Holmes, he was something. I thought he was special in what he went through.” — Charles Davis & Deion Sanders rave about Darnay’s combine showing in Indy today. pic.twitter.com/6yMnnV3yMX
— Matt Joye (@mattjoye) March 1, 2020
The well-built corner out of UCLA had eight interceptions for the Bruins and played with consistent effort. He has the toughness necessary to excel in the NFL to go along with his 4.48 40 yard dash time. Holmes has experience playing on the outside and in the slot, which increases his versatility for the G-Men.
The Case Against Darnay Holmes: Holmes might be best suited to play the nickel cornerback position. Despite having experience on the outside, his strength is playing inside against slot receivers. DeAndre Baker was thrown into the fire as a rookie on the outside, and it did not work out so well for him.
The verdict: I do sense that the Giants were very excited to draft one of the top cornerback prospects in the fourth round. I believe he will get a chance to compete for a starting spot opposite Bradberry but will end up playing mostly in nickel packages.