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New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes certainly maximized his resources during his rookie season in order to have success on the field.
Holmes was drafted out of UCLA by the Giants in the fourth-round of the 2020 NFL draft and almost immediately linked up with his new teammate and veteran safety Jabrill Peppers, whom he shared a mutual connection with.
“Jabrill and my best friend David Long went to Michigan together, so that was an instant connection for me,” Holmes told Giants Wire in an exclusive phone interview. “When I first got out to New Jersey, we just kept on clicking and then I started training with him.”
Peppers essentially took the rookie under his wing and brought him along to work with private defensive backs trainer Brian Walker prior to the training camp, which according to Holmes, played a crucial part in his transition to the NFL.
This led to an impressive rookie year for Holmes, who made five starts in 12 games posting 30 tackles, a half sack and an interception with five passes defensed. And although he gave up a 75% completion percentage, he did not allow a touchdown all season.
Despite playing outside corner in college, Holmes transitioned to the slot corner position with the Giants, which was a major area of weakness on their defense the season before.
Luckily, Holmes was able to lean on eight-year veteran Logan Ryan, who had vast experience playing the nickel and helped him adjust to his new role.
“Logan gave me all the tips I needed to learn the position,” Holmes said. “He was a big addition to the team and helped me out the entire time I was with him. It’s a blessing to have him here in the long-term.”
When it came to switching positions, the biggest adjustment for Holmes was having to move around more and knowing the quarterback was reading him to see what coverage the defense was in.
Holmes continued to show progress as the year went on, but suffered a knee injury in Week 13 that pretty much derailed the rest of his season. However, this did not stop the UCLA product from helping fellow rookie defensive back Xavier McKinney learn the nickel position while he was out.
“I didn’t let my injury take away from helping ‘X’ get to know the position. I was letting him know certain things I’d do and things he should try to do. I’m really just more of a team-oriented guy and I had to play a different role, which was amplified,” said Holmes.
Holmes revealed that he tweaked the knee early in the first half of the Giants’ Week 13 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. But instead of staying on the sidelines, he chose to tough it out and it paid off as he wound up recording his first-career interception.
“I had the option of not playing for the rest of the game after tweaking my knee in the first half, but I made the decision to stay in and was blessed with a reward,” said Holmes.
This proved to be a key turnover in the Giants’ upset victory on the road as New York was forced to rely heavily on their defense in a game where backup quarterback Colt McCoy started in place of an injured Daniel Jones.
Unfortunately, Holmes’ knee injury kept him out until the Giants’ Week 17 matchup with the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. Holmes played 30% of the snaps and the teammate he helped out while he was injured, McKinney, wound up making the game-sealing interception to keep the Giants’ playoff hopes alive.
Although the Giants ultimately missed out on the playoffs by one game, Holmes says this team knows what they must correct moving forward.
Most importantly, Holmes is extremely driven to better himself and fulfill his destiny, which is a great sign for what’s to come in his career.
“I know how far I can take things and my fear is not becoming who I know I can become. That’s what really drives me. Knowing you can become something that gives you purpose in this life so it’s really up to me to fulfill that destiny,” he said.
This mindset helped Holmes become a “professional,” who isn’t afraid to back down from the best competition.
“Knowing that those matchups are going to come keeps you on your A-game and that’s the type of player I strive to be. [I’m] somebody who’s ready to compete and dominate when the time comes. If you aren’t going against the best, you’ll never know where you stand,” said Holmes.
Before he heads back to the east coast later this offseason to once again train with Peppers and Walker before the season starts, Holmes is spending his time training back home in Pasadena, California while also sponsoring the kids in his local community through his “Chosen1” brand.
“My job is to give them life resources that will help them deal with different situations they come across and preach to them the right things they need to hear. It’s very important for me as someone that grew up in Pasadena, to be there for this community and be someone kids can look up to,” said Holmes.
It’s safe to say that Holmes has shown maturity and poise both on and off the field. Now, he will look to take things to the next level in his second season.
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