Giants Add to Cornerback Crop by Selecting UCLA's Darnay Holmes in Round 4

The Giants have added cornerback Darnay Holmes out of UCLA to their still relatively young group that includes second-year men Julian Love, DeAndre Baker and Corey Ballentine; third-year man Sam Beal; and veteran James Bradberry.

Holmes, whose father Darick Sr was an NFL running back for five seasons, was a 5-star athlete coming out of Newbury High School, Calabasas High School, and Oaks Christian in Pasadena California and a highly sought after recruit, who announced his commitment to UCLA after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Holmes is a highly intelligent young man who is motivated not only to grasp concepts but to gain a deep understanding of what's before him. This intensity enabled him to graduate early with a degree in African American Studies, after which he earned him a trip to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

At UCLA, he played boundary cornerback, lining up 248 times on the left side and 301 times on the right side, while only playing 16 snaps in the slot.

At 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, he doesn’t possess the size to play boundary in the NFL effectively, but he’s a solid overall athlete who played a ton of man coverage in Jerry Azzinaro’s 3-4 scheme.

He started 11 of 13 games played as a true freshman in 2017, racking up 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, three interceptions, and three pass breakups.

In 2019, he led the team with two interceptions and was credited with six pass defenses. He also posted multiple tackles in six games, with a season-high of 10 tackles at USC, and tied for 12th in the Pac-12 in pass defenses (0.73).

Holmes has good acceleration and closing burst on the ball. He ran a 4.48 at the combine, but his lack of length is a concern. I'll dive into his film when I get a bit more time, but I was able to find some notes on Holmes that I jotted down during my time in Mobile.

He had good recovery speed/quickness to close and seemed to be uber aggressive in trying to get to the catch-point while undercutting routes and attempting to create turnovers.

I thought he could have been a bit stickier at the top of breaks on horizontal routes and comeback routes, but I need to dive a lot deeper into his film.

Holmes returned an interception for a touchdown in 2017 and 2018. Holmes will likely compete with Grant Haley, Dravon Askew-Henry, and Corey Ballentine for the slot-corner position. He also figures to compete on special teams.

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