Giants’ Julian Love expected to make ‘jump’ in year two

New York Giants safety Julian Love has been pegged by Pro Football Focus as a player who will make a significant jump in Year 2.

Julian Love’s first season in the NFL with the New York Giants didn’t go quite as planned. The fourth round defensive back out of Notre Dame, who many draft analysts labeled a ‘steal’ at the draft, couldn’t get on the field in 2019.

The Giants did not know what to do with Love, who isn’t quick enough to play on the outside and didn’t distinguish himself to the degree where they could play him inside.

It wasn’t until safety Jabrill Peppers fractured bone in his back in late November did the coaches decide to turn to Love. He started the final five games of the season at strong safety (and various other positions). His nine-tackle performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 was his strongest of the year.

That finish on a high note has led some believe that Love is an ascending player. Pro Football Focus expects Love to make a significant ‘jump’ in 2020.

S JULIAN LOVE, NEW YORK GIANTS

At Notre Dame, Love played the vast majority of his snaps at wide cornerback, and he played well there, too, earning a 92.6 coverage grade across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. His transition to the NFL came with a position change, though, as the Giants asked Love to play safety as a rookie. This season, he split his time between playing in the box (176 snaps), slot corner (129 snaps) and even a little bit of free safety (77 snaps). As the table of his snaps by alignment below shows, that was new territory for the rookie.

Love didn’t see significant playing time until Week 12, but he made a good first impression to close out his rookie season by earning an overall grade of 70.5. The versatility to play safety, slot corner and wide corner — like he showed he was able to in college — serves the Giants well as they head into 2020. At the very least, Love showed that he deserves more playing time next season.

The Giants have brand new coaching staff with a new defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham and a new defensive backs coach in veteran Jerome Henderson, but Love figures to be a key in 2020 no matter who the coaches are.

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Giants’ 2019 draft class ranked fourth overall by PFF

The New York Giants’ 2019 draft class has been ranked fourth overall despite a full year of relentless media criticism.

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The critics were not kind to the New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman during and after the 2019 NFL Draft. The general consensus was that they blew it again by over-drafting, specifically when the selected Duke quarterback No. 6 overall, bypassing several much-needed defensive studs still on the board.

But the game is played out on the field and when the Giants’ rookies hit the gridiron, they panned out fairly well. In fact, Pro Football Focus recently ranked their 2019 draft class fourth out of 32 teams.

4. NEW YORK GIANTS

Why they’re ranked here: We graded Daniel Jones as our 24th-ranked quarterback overall, but he had more success than many expected, throwing 24 touchdown passes. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ second first-round pick, had the highest PFF grade of any rookie interior defensive lineman, and the team saw promising starts to the careers of late-round picks Darius Slayton and Julian Love.

How their top pick fared: Jones (No. 6 overall) showed flashes of high-level play, but carelessness with the football is something to work on moving forward. His 31 turnover-worthy plays — the plays our grading deem as riskiest, even if they didn’t always result in a turnover — were fourth-most in the NFL.

Best value pick: Wide receiver Slayton (No. 171 overall) was part of the year of the rookie wide receiver, significantly outperforming his fifth-round pedigree. His 18 receptions of 15-plus yards were fifth among rookie wideouts.

The class had its ups and downs. Cornerback DeAndre Baker, taken 30th overall, was downright awful for most of the season only to turn things around late in the year to somewhat salvage things. Inside linebacker Ryan Connelly was lost early on to a knee injury after showing poise and promise.

Third rounder Oshane Ximines was underused, as was forth-round pick Julian Love. Both have bright futures in this league. they just need to get coached up by the right people, who the Giants believe they finally may have.

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Watch: Troy Pride, Jr.’s Senior Bowl Interception

However, had Pride left a year early you’re looking at what, a very late round pick if he gets drafted at all?

Let me just start by saying evaluating passing games in the Senior Bowl is difficult. It’s difficult in that only very generic coverages are run, quarterbacks aren’t facing blitzes, nor do they have to worry about twists or anything wild being thrown at their linemen.

With that said, I still think making a huge play in the game as a defensive back is better than not making a big play.

Captain Obvious, right?

Well, Troy Pride, Jr. wrapped up his impressive week at the Senior Bowl with exactly that.

Troy Pride Jr. (@NDFootball) with the pick for the North!

📺: @seniorbowl on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/lWc1OjLKEA

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 25, 2020

People have taken notice of Pride who showed out in practices long before Saturday’s interception.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to see from @NDFootball CB Troy Pride at the #SeniorBowl knowing he’d have to play 1-on-1 close coverage with some bigger WRs.

But I know what I got: the best CB in Mobile this week. https://t.co/zlZml1M0uo

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 23, 2020

What I do know is that Pride is a fantastic example of what staying in school can do for a player. Yes, it’s easy to want the money and I’ll never knock a football player for seeking compensation for putting their bodies on the line like they do.

Had Pride left a year early you’re looking at what, a very late round pick if he gets drafted at all?

Now you’re talking a possible day-two of the draft type player as Pride proved Notre Dame’s pass defense wasn’t just a fluke but that is was one of the very best in college football in 2019.

Julian Love provides Giants some optimism going into offseason

There are many reasons to let pessimism fester if you’re the New York Giants, but nothing gets accomplished while looking backwards. Accordingly, the team should find optimism in several of their young players – quarterback Daniel Jones, running …

While their talent is obvious, there is some talent littering the roster that isn’t quite as obvious. Or, in the case of defensive back Julian Love, talent we just didn’t get to witness until the season neared its end.

Recently, Pro Football Focus broke down a list of players for non-playoff team who can offer up some optimism going into 2020, and Love made the cut.

New York Giants: S Julian Love

Love only played three snaps prior to Week 12, but he played 405 snaps down the stretch and performed well in the run game and in coverage. Love finished with a 70.5 overall grade, good for sixth on the defense, while lining up in the box, over the slot, and at free safety. The former cornerback showed that he can be a versatile piece in the secondary.

In 15 games, Love recorded 37 tackles, six stuffs, three passes defensed and one interception while lining up all over the field — from linebacker to safety to cornerback.

As PFF alludes, Love has proven himself to be an extremely versatile player who offers a lot to the Giants defense. He’s a unique puzzle piece that can be used all over the board, and he’s only just now beginning to scratch the surface of his talent.

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4 Giants among PFF’s top 50 rookies in 2019

Four New York Giants were named among Pro Football Focus’ Top 50 Rookies of 2019.

The New York Giants had a grand total of zero All-Pro’s and zero Pro Bowlers in 2019, but they did have four rookies land on Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 50 Rookies of 2019.

Checking in with the highest Giants rookie grade was defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (76.1), who had a stellar debut campaign.

9. DI DEXTER LAWRENCE, NEW YORK GIANTS

Lawrence slowed down the stretch, but his hot start lands him at No. 9 in PFF’s rookie rankings, as he still ranks 20th in PFF overall grade among all at his position. His pass-rushing could still use some work — he managed just 30 total pressures on 412 pass-rushing snaps and finished the year tied for 43rd among interior defenders in pass-rush win rate (9.6%) — but the return on investment has still been higher than anticipated for the 17th overall pick.

Next up may come as a bit of a surprise based on order, but not necessarily the appearance itself. That’s because for anyone watching, safety Julian Love (70.5) played some legitimate quality football once his defensive snap count increased.

13. S JULIAN LOVE, NEW YORK GIANTS

After playing mostly out wide at Notre Dame, the Giants had Love move into the box and in the slot, and over the last six weeks, Love earned the ninth-best PFF grade in the box and allowed just 19 yards on his 80 coverage snaps at that alignment.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton (70.3) checked in slightly after Love. And again, this came as no surprise to Giants fans, who watched the rookie establish himself as a legitimate offensive weapon for Big Blue.

22. WR DARIUS SLAYTON, NEW YORK GIANTS

Former Auburn Tiger Darius Slayton produced numerous highlight-reel plays in 2019 and picked up seven receptions that resulted in a gain of at least 30 yards — tied for the 16th-most in the league. Slayton ended the year with a 70.5 receiving grade that currently ranks sixth among rookie players at the position.

And finally… Quarterback Danny Dimes himself, Mr. Daniel Jones (65.7), checking in pretty far down the list.

34. QB DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS

Daniel Jones has pretty much been as expected at the NFL level — he produced an average rate of positive plays but put the ball in harm’s way at an alarming rate. The sixth overall pick’s turnover worthy-play rate on the year ranks second to last among all quarterbacks, one spot worse than the perennially turnover-prone Jameis Winston. Most of those turnover-worthy plays stemmed from his recurring fumbling issue, though, as he fumbled in 10 of his 13 game appearances this season. His 17 fumbles on the year is the most in the NFL.

Jones, who set countless rookie records on both the franchise and NFL level, was just “average,” says PFF. That was, of course, hardly expected or anticipated as most assumed Jones would completely bomb out and not be in the running for the Offensive Rookies of the Year Award.

PFF was better in 2019, but their take on Jones continues to prove how flawed their analytics are.

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Report: Todd Lyght Won’t Return to Notre Dame Staff in 2020

As for the corner backs coach, current safeties coach Terry Joseph has spent time coaching the secondaries during his stops at North Carolina, Texas A&M and Nebraska so him overseeing all defensive backs wouldn’t appear to be a ridiculous thought.

Sports Illustrated/Bryan Driskell is reporting that former Notre Dame All-American and corner backs coach Todd Lyght will not return to the coaching staff in 2020. Driskell’s report cites personal and family reasons as to why and not a firing.

The two-time consensus All-American corner and former Notre Dame captain has been coaching the position since 2015. In that time he’s seen Irish corner backs KeiVarae Russell and Julian Love selected in the NFL Draft.

What happens next on the Notre Dame coaching staff remains to be seen. Obviously all eyes are on if Tommy Rees gets elevated to offensive coordinator if someone gets hired from the outside.

As for who the up-and-coming defensive corner back coaches are in college football your thought is as great as mine. I’ll admit lack of knowledge on such names and save you the b-s others may feed you.

The departure of Lyght comes on the 31st anniversary of Notre Dame winning their last national championship, a title Lyght was a big part of.

Giants beat Redskins: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins in Week 16, so here’s a look at the winners, losers and all those in between.

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins squared off in “The Chase Young Bowl” on Sunday and for two teams that would have benefited by losing, they certainly gave an A+ effort for the win.

The game itself was back-and-forth from the start, featuring many big plays, bad calls and bizarre circumstances — befitting of two 3-11 teams.

In the end, the Giants walked away victorious with a 41-35 overtime victory.

Winners

Saquon Barkley: If you had any doubt that Barkley was truly back, he squashed those concerns in Week 16. In an all-time performance, Barkley dominated in all aspects, gaining 189 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown while adding 90 yards and one touchdown on four receptions.

Daniel Jones: In his first game back since suffering a high ankle sprain, Jones was extremely effective and really showed the football world what he’s capable of doing in this league. Yes, he had another fumble (not lost), but he also had five touchdown passes, tying Deshaun Watson and Fran Tarkenton for the most four-plus-touchdown performances (3) in the debut season of any player in NFL history.

Julian Love: How can you watch Love and not love (not pun intended) how he plays the game? He’s fast, shifty, not afraid of contact and gives it his all on every play. Was it flawless on Sunday? No, but his positive plays far outweigh his negative plays. This kid has a bright future.

Lorenzo Carter: Carter has had a down year for the Giants and really needed to flash at some point over the final two weeks. He did on Sunday. He was all over the field and especially strong rushing the passer, recording 1.5 sacks on the day.

Defensive line: The Giants have been horrible on defense this season, but I maintain the defensive line has played exceptionally well and even more so since the arrival of Leonard Williams. He, Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill and Dexter Lawrence all shined again on Sunday, creating pressure and shutting down any runs between the hash marks.

Offensive line: There was an expected drop off without Manning under center, but that was not the case for the O-line in Week 16. Even with Nick Gates replacing Mike Remmers (concussion), the unit payed collective well, giving Daniel Jones time and opening up enough holes for Barkley to have a field day.

Others: Da’Mari Scott, David Mayo, Kaden Smith, Cody Core

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5 reasons Giants could upset Redskins in Week 16

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins square off in Week 16, and here are five reasons Big Blue could come away with the win.

The New York Giants are coming off their first victory since September 29th in a 36-20 win over the Miami Dolphins.

This was also a sentimental victory as it was likely Eli Manning’s final home start of his career or at least in a Giants jersey. Manning was solid, going 20-of-28 for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but also three interceptions. Regardless, the Giants racked up their most points in a game since Week 15 of last year and had their most balanced attack of the season with Saquon Barkley rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

With the likely return of rookie Daniel Jones under center, Manning will go back to the bench. While one might think a Week 16 matchup between two three-win teams would be meaningless, this game will likely decide who receives the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, where Ohio State defensive end Chase Young is expected to be taken.

To be frank, the loser of this game could truly be winners in the long run if they are in line to draft an impact player such as Young.

Regardless, let’s look at five reasons the Giants could come out on top versus the Redskins (hopefully not so they get Young).

Dwayne Haskins

The Giants defense had their best performance of the season in their last matchup with the Redskins, holding them to only three points back in Week 4. Haskins was unfairly thrown into the fire in the second half of the game and struggled throwing three interceptions including a pick-six to Jabrill Peppers.

Despite having his best game of his career last week against the Eagles (19-of-28 for 261 yards and two touchdowns), Haskins has struggled mightily in his rookie season throwing for only 1,232 yards with a 56.9 completion percentage, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. The rookie also has a 2.7 touchdown% with a 3.7% interception rate.

Haskins had a chip on his shoulder after the Giants passed him up with the sixth pick when they selected Daniel Jones over him. If you look at the numbers and watch the two signal callers performances this season, it is like night and day how much more prepared Jones (18 TD 11 INT 2,784 yards 62 completion percentage) was than Haskins.

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Giants drop Dolphins: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins in what may be Eli Manning’s final game. Here’s a look at the winners and losers.

In what may be Eli Manning’s final start as a member of the New York Giants, the team came up big and managed to get him a victory — Manning’s first win in over a calendar year and the team’s first win since Week 4.

It was ugly early on, but then the Giants began to roll and never looked back. There were some issues here and there, but all things considered, it was the team’s most well-rounded game all season.

Here’s a quick look at the winners and losers from Week 14:

Winners

David Mayo: On a team — and specifically a defense — that does very little right, Mayo has been a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Yes, he’s been up-and-down at times and even had a few hiccups on Sunday, but overall he’s a very sound player who steps up and makes big plays at crucial times. It’s a shame his teammates actually drag down his play.

Saquon Barkley: Finally. Finally. Finally. Barkley had not had a 100-yard game since Week 2 and had not reached the endzone since Week 7. Both of those streaks ended with what was arguably Barkley’s best performance of the season. He finished the day with 112 yards on 24 carries, 31 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns.

Darius Slayton: Slayton didn’t put up huge numbers, but he came up big in a few big plays in key spots. He finished the game with two receptions for 31 yards and his eighth touchdown of the season.

Riley Dixon: Worth. Every. Penny.

Others: Dalvin Tomlinson, Leonard Williams, Michael Thomas

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Giants fall to Eagles: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants fell to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, and here’s a look at the winners, losers and those in between.

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles squared off in a Monday Night Football game that was very legitimately a sidebar to the return of veteran quarterback Eli Manning, who was replacing the injured Daniel Jones.

Manning’s performance will be picked apart from every angle in the coming day, so for now, we’ll stick to the basics and provide our usual hot takes.

Here’s a look at the winners and losers who contributed to Monday’s loss.

Winners

Markus Golden – From the jump, Golden was playing at a different level on Monday night. Maybe it was the bright lights of prime-time, but he was a ball of energy and simply dominated the Eagles offensive line early on, tallying four QB hurries and one sack over his first nine pass rushing attempts. He fell off a bit later on, but that really speaks more about his hot start.

Leonard Williams – After making waves earlier in the week by saying he wanted to be paid at a tier below Aaron Donald, Williams had his best game as a Giant and perhaps his best game of the season. He collapsed the pocket, rushed the passer, stopped the run and snuffed out screens (the only one) with remarkable precision. He did have one awful roughing the passer penalty, but we’ll forgive him this one time.

Darius Slayton – Entering Week 14, Slayton had never caught a pass from Eli Manning. Ha! The rookie dominated the first half, hauling in five receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. However, Slayton faded completely in the second half (not entirely his fault).

Oshane Ximines – It was a big night for the rookie edge rusher, who came up with two sacks of Carson Wentz and added a quality stop in the second half for good measure. A game to build upon.

Others: Janoris Jenkins, DeAndre Baker, Dalvin Tomlinson

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