Yes, I’m fully aware it’s only Week 3. Yes, the New York Giants have played exactly two games. And yes, I'm about to talk about the 2027 NFL Draft.
Sue me. Actually, please don't. Seriously.
If you watched LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford throw for 327 yards and four touchdowns while Davante Adams casually torched Big Blue’s secondary for 195 yards and two scores on Monday night's 28-6 disaster, you probably already know where I’m going with this.
Nobody has any idea where New York will be picking or what the roster will look like seven months from now. It doesn’t take expert draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s immaculate head of hair to notice the Giants might have a cornerback problem that extends well beyond one miserable night in Los Angeles.
Giants’ cornerback room could look completely different by next offseason
Let’s get the obvious part out of the way first: Monday night was Scooby-Doo-level ruff. Stafford couldn't be stopped, and Adams almost set a new career high in receiving yards in a single game at age 33.
Sure, Deonte Banks and Paulson Adebo weren’t out there, but getting carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey without them only highlighted how little margin for error this secondary actually has. And that’s before getting into what things could look like seven months from now.
Banks is entering the final year of his rookie contract after his fifth-year option was declined. Greg Newsome II's one-year deal runs out as soon as the season ends. Dru Phillips has become increasingly difficult to trust in the slot. And Paulson Adebo hasn’t looked anything like the player the G-Men hoped they were getting when they handed him a three-year, $54 million contract last offseason.
Adebo is also currently on injured reserve with a knee injury. That’s a whole lot of uncertainty for a position group that already came with too much uncertainty.
New York could move on from Adebo after the season. It'd be a smart financial move, saving roughly $14 million in cap space while eating $6.3 million in dead cap. Whether they actually do that obviously depends on what happens over the next 15 games, but that amount of savings could be awfully enticing if the 27-year-old is no longer part of the plan.
Banks is equally interesting. His Week 1 performance against Dallas was encouraging, and maybe this is finally the year everything clicks for the former first-round pick. Still, one good game doesn’t erase three inconsistent seasons.
Newsome could play himself into another contract. Phillips could finally stop committing penalties. Adebo could turn into the $18 million-per-season player he was supposed to be. The point is, a lot can happen.
For now, though, second-round rookie Colton Hood might be the only corner the Giants can confidently pencil onto the 2027 depth chart. And that should have general manager Joe Schoen paying attention to the 2027 draft class.
Giants’ first-round CB history is ugly but John Harbaugh’s isn’t
I can already feel the collective eye rolls. Banks. Deandre Baker. Eli Apple. Taking another corner in the first round might be enough to send some Giants fans into witness protection. I get it.
New York hasn’t exactly crushed that particular assignment. Baker lasted one season in New York after they traded back into the first round to take him in 2019. Apple made it two and a half seasons after going 10th overall in 2016. Even Prince Amukamara, the 19th pick in 2011, was more pretty good than great during his five years in Giants Blue. And then there’s Banks, whom the Giants took 24th overall in 2023. The jury is still very much out on him.
Fortunately, head coach John Harbaugh has a slightly better track record.
Baltimore took Marlon Humphrey 16th overall in 2017. He’s since made four Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro selections. The Ravens went back to corner with Nate Wiggins at No. 30 in 2024, and he’s quickly become one of the league’s more promising young defensive backs.
Expand it to the entire secondary, and Harbaugh’s résumé gets even better. Kyle Hamilton went 14th overall in 2022 and has turned into arguably the league's best safety. It’s obviously too early to know what Baltimore has in 2025 first-rounder Malaki Starks, but the point remains.
Whatever PTSD Giants fans have from watching this organization whiff on first-round corners shouldn’t stop the current regime from taking one if the right player is sitting there. Past mistakes don't cover Davante Adams.
Giants fans might want to learn these 2027 cornerback prospects early
The good news for anyone already perusing next year’s draft class like a complete sicko -- we see you -- is that there should be options.
Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore is the biggest name right now. He's one of the bigger corners in the class (6-foot-2 and 197 pounds), and he's also the best cover corner. Georgia’s Ellis Robinson IV and Alabama’s Zabien Brown are two more names generating first-round buzz.
Miami’s Romanas “OJ” Frederique Jr., Brice Pollock out of Texas Tech, and Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones are also worth keeping somewhere in the back of your brain as the college season unfolds.
There's an absurd amount of football left before Big Blue has to worry about any of them. Still, take one long look at how many question marks could be sitting in the Giants' CB room come January. Maybe getting acquainted with a few of the prospects now isn’t the worst idea.
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