NY Giants: Evaluating the Impact of the 2019 Draft Class.
Round 6, #180 Overall: CB Corey Ballentine, Washburn University
Corey Ballentine is a talented player who was always very easy to root for with the NY Giants.
A classic underdog, Ballentine’s reputation on draft night was a 6th round pick, a former FCS player from small school Washburn University, to then becoming the nightmare situation of being the NFL player shot on draft night.
The biggest and best day of Corey’s life instead ended in fear, horror, and the death of his teammate and best friend, Dwane Simmons.
Ballentine never found his footing in the NFL and he quickly learned the cruel side of how the NFL business operates. After one full season and nine games in year two, Ballentine found himself subsequently cut and unemployed.
Ballentine struggled mightily in the secondary at corner and was getting picked on constantly by opposing quarterbacks. He was simply overwhelmed and overmatched on an NFL field while still adjusting to the speed and physicality of the game, especially compared to D2 NCAA football.
The Giants tried lighting a spark on special teams and had Ballentine start the year as the team’s primary kick returner. He found marginal success averaging only 24 yards per kick return. After a bad start to the season, Judge cut Ballentine and he landed up staying home in New York with the Jets.