Can Tyler Nubin Fill Giants' Void at Safety?

The Giants are looking for Tyler Nubin to fill the void left by the free-agency departure of Xavier McKinney. How much of a fit is Nubin for the role?

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota defensive back Tyler Nubin (DB56) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I was a little heartbroken when the New York Giants let safety Xavier McKinney walk in free agency. 

To make it up to me, general manager Joe Schoen drafted a player who was not just my top safety in the draft and the 14th overall player on my draft big board, he drafted a safety who fits new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme perfectly.

Per PFF Ultimate, under Shane Bowen in 2023, the Tennessee Titans ran Cover 1 as their biggest man coverage call (17.7 percent), and Cover 4 as one of their biggest zone coverage calls (23.3 percent). 

The Minnesota Golden Gophers ran Cover 1 13.5 percent of the time and Cover 4 33.7 percent of the time, their most common defensive calls. 

Playing safety in Bowen’s system is no small feat–you have to be able to not just play everything except Cover 1 and Cover 6 frequently but also be able to play the variations that come with those coverages. Cover 2 invert is a common call from Bowen that requires safeties to either come down and play in a hook zone or the flats.

#Titans run Cover 2 invert here, but show single high safety Man look. This confuses Herbert just long enough to allow Walker to win on a bullrush. Shout out to Dupree who forces Herbert to take a step up. pic.twitter.com/zIBQGRrv3I

— TicTacTitans (@TicTacTitans) December 20, 2022

This next clip isn’t Cover 2 invert, as that wasn’t really in the playbook for Minnesota, but it showcases Nubin’s ability to operate as the underneath defender in zone coverage.

#Gophers Safety Tyler Nubin doing Tyler Nubin things…
Does a great job dropping down into the box & plays the curl flat perfectly reading the QBs eyes and getting underneath the over route… QB never saw him… pic.twitter.com/8BMG8WFo6X

— Ron Johnson (@3RonJohnson) November 12, 2022

I look at Nubin as someone that can play any role in the secondary but will likely be used in a similar way that Amani Hooker had been used for Bowen. Hooker lined up all over the defensive formation for Bowen in 2023, spending 281 snaps in the box, 279 snaps as a deep safety, and 297 snaps in the slot.

Nubin spent most of his snaps lining up as a deep safety at Minnesota, but that’s also because Minnesota frequently lined up with two-high safety looks as opposed to single-high like the Titans. Nubin would often be the safety who came into the underneath zone from those two-high looks.

Given the rate at which Bowen has called cover three throughout his career, being able to operate as a single-high center fielder type of safety is imperative.

There have been questions about Nubin’s legitimate athleticism translating to the next level, but his IQ and instincts in coverage are where he tends to separate himself.

In the clip above, Nubin is playing as the deep safety in Cover 3, reading the quarterback's eyes before coming down and making the play. 

Nubin had seven of his 13 career interceptions playing in either cover two, cover three, or cover four - which made up 67.4% of Bowen’s total defensive coverage calls in 2023.

In the clip below, we see Nubin playing straight man coverage on the tight end in the low red zone. Playing overtop to prevent a run-after-catch opportunity, Nubin allows the completion for the short gain before making the tackle himself.

Nubin is more than willing to attack as a run defender in the box once he identifies the play. Bowen’s teams have historically been elite in defending the run. 

While it may start with having defensive linemen like Jeffery Simmons who can dominate the line of scrimmage individually, it requires a team effort of back seven players coming down to clean up plays.

Obviously, teams are trying to draft players who are scheme fits and can carve out early roles, but the argument could be made that no single player in the 2024 NFL Draft ended up in a better situation for them than Nubin when it comes to scheme fit.

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