Giants Player Profile | Devante Downs, LB
2019 Season Rewind
For linebacker Devante Downs, a season-ending knee injury sustained his senior year at California in 2017 ended his PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus Award campaigns. The effect of that injury may have spilled into Downs' professional career and put a limit on what he has been able to contribute on the field so far.
After spending his rookie season with the Vikings as a seventh-round draft pick out of California in 2018, Downs was waived in August 2019 and then signed to the Vikings practice squad, where he spent two weeks.
Downs was then promoted to the active roster on September 14 and registered 22 snaps on special teams in two appearances before being placed on waivers on September 24.
The Giants signed Downs to their practice squad on October 1 and made his Giants debut in Week 10 against the Jets. Downs filled in primarily as a special teams contributor throughout the final seven weeks of the season and registered one tackle.
On December 31, Downs re-signed with the Giants on a one-year futures contract.
Looking Ahead
Downs will be competing for a roster spot, but given the Giants' recent crop of rookies brought in via the draft and post-draft free agency, it looks like he's facing an uphill battle to hang around.
The Giants roster has several new linebackers such as Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, T.J. Brunson, Tae Crowder, Dominique Ross, and Dana Levine--all of whom will be vying for special teams roles if they hope to make the roster.
Downs does appear to play the game with great vision and shows a nose for where the football is going. His college tape showed a player who was very good at diagnosing plays before the snap and then getting into an ideal position to make a stop.
While not overly athletic, Downs did show an ability to drop into coverage and hustle to where the ball carrier was--all this before he suffered his knee injury.
Downs, now at 24 years of age, will compete, and does have the experience on his side, but realistically speaking he is probably facing an uphill battle to make this year's roster given all the talent added in the off-season.
