Can This Unsung Draft Pick Help Fix the Giants’ Never-Ending Cornerback Crisis?

Cornerback has been an issue for the New York Giants for years, despite their attempts to address the position with varying levels of investment.

In free agency, the Giants signed Paulson Adebo before the 2025 season to a big-money contract that had him as the tenth-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL in 2025 and the fourth-highest-paid cornerback this year.

Adebo hasn’t lived up to the investment to this point, something that has happened far too often for the Giants over the past decade.

The Giants have also pursued players like Greg Newsome II at a significantly lower price to address the position and hope to get him back to his early-career form.

In the NFL Draft, the Giants used plenty of draft capital to address the position with Deonte Banks in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Dru Phillips in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Korie Black in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Colton Hood in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Banks has become more of a contributor on special teams than defense, and Phillips plays in the slot, making those two draft picks relatively ineffective on the perimeter.

Korie Black, CB

Height: 6-0
Weight: 190
EXP: 2 Years
School: Oklahoma State
How Acquired: D7-’25

2025 in Review

Jul 23, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Korie Black (25) participates in drills during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Black was selected with the 248th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and would spend the entire summer with the Giants before becoming one of the roster cuts on final cutdown day.

After being released, Black signed with the NY Jets practice squad, where he was elevated for two games before returning to the practice squad - the Giants would sign him off the Jets practice squad in October.

Black was on the active roster for the Giants for nine games, with two starts against the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

Through his appearances with the Giants, Black allowed 10 receptions on 12 targets for 224 yards and three touchdowns with one pass broken up and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

On film, Black had his moments where he seemed like he was starting to figure some things out and adjust to the NFL level - most notably in the two games he started.

That’s not very surprising, as it’s almost easier for some cornerbacks to play more in coverage because it allows them to get an up-close, personal look at how a receiver moves and runs routes, rather than just watching on film.

Black didn’t play special teams much during the games he was available, playing mostly kick coverage, with occasional punt returns and field goal block snaps; the latter two were very sporadic.

Under John Harbaugh, the expectation should be that more players, Black included, need to find ways to contribute more on special teams.

Contract/Cap Info

Typically, when players are drafted, they sign standard four-year contracts with negotiable guarantees, but since Black was cut at the end of the preseason, his original contract was terminated.

Black would then sign a two-year contract worth $1,845,000 with no guaranteed money, which is now entering the second and final year, set to make $1,005,000 in 2026.

If the Giants were to cut Black at all, there would be no dead cap penalty, as that is the equivalent of guaranteed money that year.

The double-edged sword of a contract like this means Black has a minimal impact on the salary cap, so he won’t be someone who gets cut to create more cap space, but he also doesn’t carry any dead cap penalty to protect him like insurance against cuts.

2026 Preview

The Giants are still looking for answers at outside cornerback for 2026, and while Black is likely going to still be behind Adebo, Newsome, Hood, and Banks at the minimum on the depth chart, he could earn a legitimate depth role.

As mentioned earlier, Black had his flashes during the 2025 season, but in 2026, he will hopefully be able to put together more consistent film now that he’s had a year in the pros to adjust to NFL game speed and strength and conditioning.

Black could be one of the bigger beneficiaries of new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who was a defensive backs coach in the NFL from 2015 to 2024 before he became a defensive coordinator.

Wilson mixes up coverage variety better than most, and with Black’s experience through college, he should be able to handle the workload intellectually.

A major concern for me heading into 2026 is that Black’s a relative non-factor on special teams, and for someone on the bottom of the roster, with a former special teams coordinator as head coach, that seems like an area he will need to start contributing.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google