To say the New York Giants and drafting cornerbacks in the first round don't go together would be an insult to oil and water. For the past decade, the Giants have thrown multiple darts at the corner position in the first round, only to watch them blow up in their face. It's a frustrating cycle that has me believing in curses.
Now, general manager Joe Schoen needs to be the one to finally break the trend. With the current room relying heavily on stopgaps, Schoen might have no choice but to take another swing at the position early.
In his latest way-too-early 2027 mock draft, NFL Trade Rumors' Ethan Woodie sees Big Blue selecting Georgia corner Ellis Robinson IV with the 11th pick in an attempt to fix their corner woes for the long term: "A true junior with only one season of starting experience, Robinson can get a lot better with time. Given how good he already is, that’s exciting to think about."
Giants take another first-round swing at CB in latest 2027 mock
The ghosts of drafts past still haunt North Jersey. Eli Apple’s time with the team quickly devolved into chaos. In 2017, Apple was suspended by the team for "conduct detrimental to the team" after getting into a fight with the coaching staff. Things hit rock bottom when team captain Landon Collins publicly labeled Apple "a cancer" during a live radio interview.
Deandre Baker's tenure was equally underwhelming. The 30th pick in the 2019 Draft was frequently benched for a visible lack of effort and was heavily criticized by then-head coach Pat Shurmur. The G-Men moved on from him after just one season. He latched on with the Kansas City Chiefs for the following two years before dropping out of the NFL entirely.
Four years later, Deonte Banks was supposed to be the guy to end the cold streak, but he eventually lost his starting role to Cor’Dale Flott and was reduced to a glorified kick returner.
The 25-year-old did finally look good in the second preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, showing the talent that made him a first-round pick. But one impressive preseason showing doesn't exactly outweigh three years of frustrating play. New York can't afford to gamble their future on a player who flashes sporadically.
The rest of the room offers little long-term hope. Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II are on the roster now, but both feel like short-term stopgaps rather than the centerpieces of the future. It’s hard to envision either player being the long-term centerpiece of this secondary.
Adding Robinson to the room could change their outlook quite a bit. Pairing his elite man-coverage ability with 2026 second-round pick Colton Hood could give the Giants a young tandem to build around for the foreseeable future.
Of course, Giants fans have heard some version of that before.
Apple was supposed to be the answer. So was Baker. So was Banks. None of that means the Giants should stop trying.
At some point, Big Blue has to get lucky. If the Giants are sitting there at No. 11 next April with another potential CB1 staring them in the face, maybe it's the fourth time that's really the charm.
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