The New York Giants selected Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin with the No. 47 pick in Friday’s second round of the NFL Draft. The Giants made Nubin the first safety selected in the draft.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Nubin fits a big need for the Giants who lost Xavier McKinney to the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Nubin converted from cornerback to safety at Minnesota and led the Golden Gophers in interceptions in each of the past four years, finishing his career with a school-record 13.
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This is the second year in a row Giants GM Joe Schoen has spent a second-round pick on a Golden Gopher. Last year, the Giants drafted Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz at No. 57.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
Nubin ranked No. 68 on Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board and was the third-rated safety.
“A four-year starter at Minnesota, Nubin was an interchangeable safety (single high and split zone) in defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s mixed-coverage scheme.
“Using his athleticism and awareness, Nubin keeps everything in front of him and can drive off the numbers in the deep half to overlap the seam or track and finish from the post. As an alley defender, he is fearless but controlled, and he comes to balance with low pads to finish tackles with authority. Overall, Nubin has conservative tendencies in coverage, but he is a four-down player with a coveted skill set because of his split-field range, playmaking instincts and toughness versus the run. He is ideally suited for a quarters-based, Cover-2 scheme in the NFL and will be a core special-teamer.”
"You're going to get it all" 🥺 pic.twitter.com/egVqpkcLGR
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2024
Coaching intel
An NFL defensive backs coach told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, “I think Nubin is the best true middle-field safety in the draft.”
Scott Dochterman grades the pick
Maybe the most underrated player in the draft, Nubin was both a solid coverage safety and a tremendous tackler at Minnesota. He will step in immediately for McKinney and thrive. With 43 starts at Minnesota, Nubin was experienced and highly respected. He finished his career with a school-record 13 interceptions and 24 passes defended, as well as 207 tackles. He’s a Day 1 starter.
Grade: A
Tyler Nubin: 33.0 passer rating allowed in coverage since 2021 🔒 pic.twitter.com/28kx09VBVS
— PFF NY Giants (@PFF_Giants) April 27, 2024
How he fits
It’s essential to have versatile safeties in new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s system. Nubin is a perfect fit because he has experience playing in a Minnesota defense that mixed single-high and two-deep safety coverages. Nubin started 43 games in college, so he arrives with plenty of experience. Nubin may not project to have the same star potential as McKinney, but he should develop into a solid starter.
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Rookie impact
The Giants let McKinney, a 2020 second-round pick, walk in free agency and then replaced him with Nubin in the second round this year. McKinney’s departure left a major void in the secondary, and the Giants will be counting on Nubin to step in immediately. He was the first safety selected, so the Giants obviously viewed him as the best player at the position in this class. There are typically growing pains with young defensive backs, but Nubin’s experience in the Big Ten should help with the learning curve.
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Depth-chart impact
Jason Pinnock is locked into one of the starting safety spots. Nubin enters a competition with Jalen Mills and Dane Belton for the other starting job. Mills is a ninth-year veteran who spent most of his career at cornerback but shifted to a more versatile role last season in New England. Mills signed a one-year, minimum contract, so he projects more as an experienced insurance policy than a starter. Belton was a fourth-round pick in 2022 who has made seven starts in his first two seasons. Belton has displayed a nose for the ball with four interceptions and three fumble recoveries, but there are limitations in his game that could make the Giants uneasy about making him a full-time starter. The plan has to be for Nubin to quickly ascend to the top of the depth chart alongside Pinnock.
They also could have picked …
There was a run on defensive tackles and cornerbacks that eliminated some potential Giants targets. But there were still defensive tackles (LSU’s Maason Smith, Michigan’s Kris Jenkins) and cornerbacks (Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw, Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa) available. The Giants had their choice of any safety since Nubin was the first player selected at the position. An offensive lineman should always be an option for the Giants and they could have had UConn guard Christian Haynes. Only one running back was gone, so the Giants could have targeted Florida State’s Trey Benson or USC’s MarShawn Lloyd with this pick.
Fast evaluation
One thing that has become clear is that Schoen looks to the second round to address needs. Last year, he took Schmitz, who immediately stepped in as a starter. The expectation will be the same for another Minnesota product, as Nubin is a similarly experienced prospect picked at a position with a glaring hole.
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(Photo: Matt Krohn / USA Today)