Giants Player Profile: Corey Ballentine, CB
2019 Season Rewind
Ballentine had one of the most unconventional draft nights in modern history; he went from being a sixth-round selection out of Washburn to being involved in a life or death situation a few hours later.
On the night he was selected by the Giants, Ballentine and his best friend Dwane Simmons were shot. Sadly, Simmons was killed in the altercation, and Ballentine suffered a gunshot wound to his leg.
To say that Ballentine had to overcome severe adversity in his rookie season, which was already stressful enough with trying to transition to life in the pros, would be a gross understatement.
While some players might have stepped away to get their heads together, Ballentine, by whatever means were made available to him, pushed forward, and it’s a testament to his strength that he was able to pull himself together and put his best foot forward when he rejoined the Giants.
I had the chance to see Ballentine in Mobile, Alabama, at the Reese’s Senior Bowl last year. Small school guys are always noticed and talked about on the first day; those conversations usually go one of two ways, the first being, “Did you see player X? He’s really in over his head!" and the second being “Wow, Player X can play!”
For Ballentine, it was more of the latter. He not only held his own and showed that he’s athletic enough to play with NFL caliber receivers, but his measurables also scream NFL cornerback.
Ballentine came in with a 77” wingspan (77th percentile), a 39½” vertical (87th percentile), and a 135” broad jump (98th percentile). The lower body explosiveness is easy to see on film; he has burst, can jump, and is good at quickly accelerating laterally.
After his surgery, Ballentine rejoined the Giants and showed the team enough to earn a spot on the active roster. He was mostly used as a special teams player until Week 9 when Ballentine took over the slot role from Grant Haley.
The slot was the most vulnerable part of the young defense, especially in terms of vertical speed. Haley, an excellent run defender, struggled to stay in phase downfield, so Ballentine was the remedy.
But he struggled to thrive as the slot defender and was often picked on by offenses. The Bears went after Ballentine in Week 12, and the rookie surrendered 12 catches on 14 targets, along with a touchdown.
It wasn’t the smoothest transition for Ballentine, but he was a natural boundary corner who was forced to try the slot by circumstance. He was out of position, young, and in an overly complicated defensive system run by James Bettcher.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ballentine finished his rookie campaign with 25 tackles, 2 passes defensed, while surrendering four touchdowns and a completion percentage of 72.1% for 392 yards.
Looking Ahead
To me, Ballentine was always going to make the roster. Based on what we know so far, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is planning to run a more simplified defensive system that can utilize a corner like Ballentine.
But where does he fit? The starters were supposed to be James Bradberry and DeAndre Baker, but Baker's legal issues make him unlikely to be available to the team this year unless all the charges against him are dropped between now and the start of training camp.
Assuming that is indeed the case, that leaves the starting corner job, opposite of Bradberry open, and there are two Giants who will probably compete for that spot: Sam Beal and Ballentine.
Beal was a third-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft but hurt his shoulder and was out his entire rookie season. Last year, he struggled to stay on the field again and didn’t show much when he was active.
Meanwhile, Ballentine didn’t receive a fair shake as a boundary option last year and was rendered to the slot. He may have a chance to prove himself in whatever type of offseason we conduct; if he does that, he could realistically have a chance to be the new starter if Baker isn't available.
Both Beal and Ballentine are strong tacklers who could stand to become better in man coverage. Ballentine is the bigger, more physical defender, who is slightly more athletic than Beal.
If Baker doesn’t end up playing, then the Giants would only have Bradberry, Beal, and Ballentine as their true boundary type corners.
The opportunity could present itself for Ballentine, and in the worst-case scenario, he’s the No. 4 boundary corner who would assist the Giants on special teams.
He’ll be a Giant in 2020, and here's hoping that he can make that second-year leap and represent Division II football well.
