A lot of good happened on draft night, especially for the New York Giants. There was definitely some confusion with the passing on Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs, but coming away with the No. 1 player on FanSided's big board at No. 5 and circling back to take the best offensive lineman in the class at No. 10 was genius.
It was that kind of draft for the G-Men, now led by new head coach John Harbaugh. And that’s probably why the draft went the way it did, but this could go down as the most complete haul the organization has had in decades.
A big part of that will be the sole defensive back taken -- Colton Hood. Big Blue grabbed the former Tennessee cornerback with the 37th pick, in the hopes of rebranding its culture under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Hood’s play style as an aggressive press-man corner is exactly what Wilson and Co. are looking for from their DBs, and in case the fans weren’t originally sold on the pick, one of the game’s (former) elite corners definitely will.
Aqib Talib couldn’t have described a more perfect Giants cornerback than Colton Hood if he tried
Before the draft, Aqib Talib -- not usually one for compliments -- dropped a Colton Hood endorsement of the century on Underdog’s Arena Gridiron. The five-time Pro Bowler described the absolute perfect cornerback for the new-look Giants without ever knowing he'd land in New York, which makes what he said that more objectively awesome:
"I love Colton Hood in press coverage. He's the best press man corner in the draft. His technique is the best. He's putting that sh**on tape. It's dominant. He plays chest to chest when he's supposed to. He turns over the shoulder when he's supposed to.
I love Colton Hood in press man."
How are Giants fans supposed to read that and not immediately be all the way in? Trick question -- they're not.
It's almost like Talib was in New York's war room, giving a live pitch to the front office to take the 21-year-old. It's either that or a classic instance of great minds think alike, but I prefer the former because it's infinitely more fun.
It just so happens that Wilson's defense relies heavily on press-man coverage in the secondary, which -- according to Talib -- he is the best in the class at doing.
Hood isn't the biggest corner at 5-foot-11 and 193 pounds, but he plays much bigger than that. There's a scrappiness and nastiness to his game that’s going to fit right in with what this defense is trying to become. And there's no time like the present to lead by example. He's best used on the boundary, but can handle reps in the slot.
The Giants’ secondary has been a nightmare for years. If Talib’s comments come anywhere close to being true, they might’ve finally found a way out of it. For now, it's all bets on the guy Talib called the best press man corner in the class.
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