NY Giants: Evaluating the Impact of the 2019 Draft Class.
Round 1, #30 Overall: CB DeAndre Baker, Georgia
DeAndre Baker is one of the biggest disappointments in Giants’ draft history.
There’s no other way around it. The team completely bungled an ongoing legal situation with Baker and they dropped the ball even when they didn’t need to.
Baker dealt with some horrible allegations over the summer amidst witnesses claiming he robbed them at gunpoint after losing tens of thousands of dollars in high-stakes gambling games. His arrest became a national news story and the entire world watched how the Giants would handle this amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and along with employing ex-convicts and guys such as Josh Brown (the kicker).
Baker was a talented corner out of Georgia in 2019 but he struggled with preparation, professionalism, and a complete understanding of what it takes to survive and succeed in the NFL. After rumors of falling asleep in film sessions, Baker not knowing the playbook, and having an alleged poor attitude, he entered 2020 on the hot seat.
Baker never even made it to training camp, as the team quickly cut ties with Baker and avoided all the negative press and attention that instead would have hanged over the team.
Fast forward to November 16th and Baker’s charges were fully dropped and the investigation was declared over. Instead of playing out the legal process and letting Baker remain on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, the team cut him on September 8th right before Week 1. The team expected him to be charged and likely spend years behind in bars but that never turned out to be the case.
After being exonerated, Baker latched on with the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad. From there, he worked his way onto the active roster before suffering a brutal broken femur injury.