New York Giants secondary coach Everett Withers has some great words for rookie first-round draft pick cornerback DeAndre Baker.
When the New York Giants gave up three picks to trade back into the first round of the NFL Draft to select Georgia cornerback DeAndre Baker, they knew they had high hopes for him. Nobody would give up that much for any average Joe corner.
Baker, from the start, is going to be someone they want to be on the field a great amount.
Now that rookie minicamp has concluded, Baker has a chance to crack the starting lineup. He wouldn’t be the No. 1 corner, as that spot will most likely be retained by Janoris Jenkins. However, Baker has a good chance to make a name for himself in this secondary.
This week, Giants defensive back coach Everett Withers had some high praise for the rookie corner in a press conference on Wednesday.
“He is a really talented guy,” Withers said. “When you watch his tape, he is a guy with a lot of competitive experience. To have another guy over there next to Janoris, he is talented enough to go over there and be a factor over there opposite Janoris.”
Giants second-year defensive coordinator James Bettcher also had some words for Baker, who played and succeeded in the tough SEC conference in college.
“The thing I would say about Baker is that he played in a very, very tough league,” Bettcher said. “We all know how long it was before he gave up a touchdown pass. He competed and covered some of the best players that have come out of that league on offense. His tape speaks for itself. One of the best, if not the best, tackling corner in the draft, period. Excited to have him. He did an outstanding job at camp this past week.”
Baker totaled 116 combined tackles, seven picks and 23 pass breakups in 36-career games for the Bulldogs. When you look at the tape, you notice right away he’s a great cover corner with an aggressive playstyle.
He should be an absolutely great asset for the Giants secondary in 2019 and beyond.
