Who the NY Giants could have drafted over DeAndre Baker

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 25: Deandre Baker of Georgia poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen #30 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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Cornerback Byron Murphy (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

1. CB Byron Murphy

When the NY Giants traded up from the 30th pick to the 37th pick, I was confident that the pick was going to be Byron Murphy. Murphy was my #1 cornerback in the draft and I had him slated as the #8 overall prospect in the class.

Murphy offers a very similar physical profile to Deandre Baker. The two men are the same height with a three-pound weight difference, .03-second 40-yard dash difference, the same number of reps on the bench press, and a 2-inch broad jump difference.

Both men are even specialists in man-to-man coverage. Where Murphy separates himself from Baker is that Murphy was one of the best ball-hawking cornerbacks in college football and while the numbers might not reflect that, his tape does.

At Washington, Murphy was rarely tested given his sticky coverage skills.

When it comes to Byron Murphy vs Deandre Baker, even when not considering the off-field concerns, Murphy would have been the right pick.

Following the recent arrest warrant issued for Baker and Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar, it’s now clear that Murphy should have the first cornerback off the board.

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