The New York Giants have drafted Alabama safety Xavier McKinney in the second round (No. 36 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
After addressing the offensive line in the first round, it looks like the New York Giants are addressing the defensive backfield in the second.
On Friday night, Big Blue decided to draft Alabama safety Xavier McKinney with its No. 36 overall selection. McKinney will surely bolster a secondary that struggled mightily last year. In 2019, the Giants allowed 264.1 passing yards per game, a mark that ranked 28th in the league.
McKinney had a phenomenal 2019 campaign with the Crimson Tide. He recorded 95 total tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three picks (one pick-six), and four forced fumbles.
His efforts led to him earning first-team All-SEC honors.
At 6-foot, 201 pounds, McKinney ran a 4.63 40-yard dash while recording a 36-inch vertical jump, a 122-inch broad jump, and 19 reps on the bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine. He sports 30.875-inch arms and 8.625-inch hands.
As a defensive back, McKinney can line up in multiple spots, portraying a great deal of on-field versatility.
How would McKinney fit into the Giants defense?
Well, the Giants already possess Julian Love and Jabrill Peppers respectively at the free and strong safety spots. They just drafted the former in last year’s fourth round.
Therefore, it’s unclear right now how exactly McKinney will fit into the mix, but expect him to earn a significant amount of time on the field. The Giants made a big investment in him with an early second-round choice and apparently had their minds made up on selecting him if he was available.
Gettleman says Giants made up their mind if McKinney was there, they were taking him. If he was gone, they had a deal in place to trade down.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) April 24, 2020
There’s a legitimate chance he could play the free safety spot and perform more in coverage while Peppers plays up near the line of scrimmage. Love could then be moved to slot corner. The other two starting corners are slated to be Deandre Baker and the newly acquired James Bradberry.
This wasn’t the pick I was hoping for, as I was pushing for the Giants to either draft a center or an edge rusher. Nonetheless, you can’t deny McKinney’s talent, as he’s one of the top safeties in this draft class.
