Wink Martindale Doesn't Rule Out Starting Two Rookies at Cornerback

Martindale identified the Giants' three best cornerbacks right now, and two are rookie draft picks.

Author:
Joe Najarian
Publish date:
Aug 16, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

The New York Giants have spent the better part of the spring and training camp looking at various personnel combinations to find what works. And on defense, one such combination that seems to be picking up a head of steam--and one that sort of happened on the fly at that--features two rookies at cornerback with an established veteran cornerback moving down into the slot.

Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III, the Giants' 2023 first- and sixth-round draft picks out of Maryland and Old Dominion, respectively, have been turning heads when lined up as the outside corners.

The Giants knew what they were getting in Banks, who figured to be a Day 1 starter. But Hawkins was something of a crap shoot as, despite having insane measurables, there were some questions regarding how quickly he might adjust to the higher level of competition, what with coming from a smaller school.

General manager Joe Schoen and the Giants' scouting department were particularly impressed by Hawkins's athleticism, which, according to his RAS (relative athletic score) of 9.82 put him in the top 50 of all cornerbacks ever to be tested.

“Height, weight, and speed prospect that has high upside," Schoen said after Hawkins was drafted. "He’s a physical kid, not afraid to tackle. You see a trend with some of these guys that we took at that position. Good developmental prospect for Wink’s defense and projects well to special teams due to his physical traits and toughness.”

Once he got on the field, Hawkins quickly answered any questions about whether he was ready for the big time. His emergence has allowed Martindale to move Adoree' Jackson down into the slot, an alignment that thus far in practice has yielded some promising results.

“They’re both playing well right now and deserve the reps with the ones,” Martindale said of the rookies. “We're excited to see their growth. Every day is a new day for them as far as there's something else they find out, and it's fun to watch.”

Although the trio has yet to play in a game--Jackson was given the night off in the Giants' preseason opener against the Lions last week--they did get several looks against the Lions during the joint practices, having a showing that has Martindale feeling confident enough to potentially roll out that combination moving forward.

He was asked what makes Jackson, who last year only played 53 snaps in the slot for Martindale's Giants defense, such a good candidate for the position.

"Just because of his coverage skills, number one, his speed, his athleticism. Everything that made him our No. 1 corner last year, he still has," Martindale said.

"I think when you go into these games, in any subpackage, you want to play your three best corners. Right now, those are our three best corners."