Giants Player Profile: Grant Haley, CB

2019 Rewind

Cornerback Grant Haley has defied the odds, going from a 2018 undrafted free agent to receiving significant snaps for the Giants.

This could speak to the shortage of talent on the roster, or it could be that Haley overcame his smaller frame to earn snaps due to his play.

The answer lies somewhere in the middle. Haley is a 5-foot-9, 185-pound nickel back that played for James Franklin at Penn State.

Haley also was the first player in Penn State school history to return a blocked field goal for a touchdown, which is a nice little anecdote that he can always talk about.

In college, Haley earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He was named to the Pro Football Focus "Big Ten Team of the Week" on September 12th after securing a big interception against Pittsburgh, while also earning that honor in the weeks against Maryland, Northwestern, and Indiana.

Known for his high character on and off the field, Haley was awarded the Captain and Bob Mitinger Memorial Awards and was an Academic All-Big Ten player in 2017, his senior season.

Haley wasn’t an excellent athlete and was undersized, so he went undrafted in 2018, but landed on the Giants squad where he played significant snaps in his rookie year. He played significant snaps down the stretch of his rookie season for the Giants.

By his second year, Haley was the full-time starter in nickel sub-packages, initially. But it didn’t take long for opposing offensive coordinators to realize that Haley struggled with vertical coverage.

Two misplaced passes by Case Keenum on vertical seam routes out of the slot against Washington were evidence that offensive coordinators were trying to expose Haley deep, and it wasn’t a good look.

According to Pro Football Focus, Haley only surrendered one touchdown in 2019, against the Minnesota Vikings and Adam Thielen. Still, he surrendered over 400 yards and failed to earn a pass defensed or interception.

Haley’s snaps were scaled back because of his vertical liability. In his defense, the reason Haley was really on the field was his exceptional nature in run support.

Pound for pound, Haley is one of the toughest players on the Giants’ roster. His technique, aggressiveness, and tackling ability were so good coming downhill, in space, and as a run defender.

It’s a big reason he has a chance to start in 2020; run defense is very important, and it’s tough to find corners, especially nickels that are as exceptional as Grant Haley while playing against the run. Haley finished 2019 with 76 tackles and 4 for a loss.

Looking Ahead

Haley has a shot to start in the slot due to his ability in run support, but he must get better in coverage.

He struggled to stay in phase and became a deep liability. The Giants recognized this fact and added Darnay Holmes out of UCLA to compete for the slot cornerback role.

Holmes is a cornerback that was a former 5-star recruit who had a very good 2018 campaign but was dinged up a lot in 2019, so he slipped to the fourth round. He was a boundary corner in college, but due to his diminutive size, he’ll be playing nickel and competing against Haley.

Holmes is a better athlete than Haley but needs to prove his toughness in run support at the NFL level. Regardless, Holmes is the biggest threat to Haley losing snaps, albeit Haley might be used in kick coverages a lot if he’s not starting.

The Giants also added former New York Guardians’ player and West Virginia Mountaineer Dravon Askew-Henry. He is the player who threw the flag back at the ref after he disagreed with the call in the XFL.

Another "H" name to watch at cornerback is Montre Hartage, who played an essential role in Patrick Graham’s defense in 2019. He’s a former corner that played safety for Graham in Miami.

If we’re looking for a player whose name doesn’t start with H at one point or another, then Chris Williamson is your guy. Williamson, a 7th round pick out of Minnesota, will also be in the race to earn snaps from the slot position.

Under Graham, the Giants may employ a 3-safety look with Julian Love, Jabrill Peppers, and Xavier McKinney on the field at the same time.

Between Askew-Henry, Hartage, Holmes, and Haley, the Giants are hoping to find a reliable option that can be effective against the run and in coverage.

Can Haley prove to be that player, if he gets better in coverage, sure, but his size and athletic profile put him at a disadvantage.