New York Giants Bring in Intriguing Northwestern Defensive Back
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Another former Wildcat will be getting his NFL opportunity in rookie minicamp. Defensive back Coco Azema has officially accepted an invitation from the New York Giants.
Big Apple. Big Opportunity.@coco_azema has accepted an invitation to New York @Giants rookie minicamp ‼️ pic.twitter.com/u03z8qABMC
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) April 27, 2025
Azema spent his entire six-season college career with Northwestern, playing in two bowl games. He was a leader on the defense in the back half of his career and always stood out on the field. Azema finished with 180 tackles and three picks with the 'Cats.
He also contributed some on special teams as a kick returner. Azema returned five kicks for 84 yards this past season.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 185 lbs, the speedy DB is slightly undersized to play in the NFL. That likely hurt his draft stock and his ability to sign a true UDFA contract.
Azema is also an older rookie since he played for so long in college. But that means he has significant experience playing power-conference college football in the Big Ten. He's been covering premier NFL draft prospects for his entire career against teams like Ohio State.
The difference between a UDFA deal and an invite to rookie minicamp is slight, but it is meaningful. UDFAs are signficantly more likely to make the team or at least get a long look in training camp come August.
As an invite, Azema will have to climb a steep hill, but the Giants don't have a particularly experienced or established group of defensive backs. For a player like Azema who was never likely to get drafted, a chance like this is all you can hope for.
The longtime Wildcat will look to make the best of his opportunity and represent Northwestern at the highest level.
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Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.