The New York Giants traded up for the 30th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and selected Georgia Bulldogs CB Deandre Baker. They won’t be disappointed with Baker, who is the best CB in the Draft. While the New York Giants made a questionable decision with the Daniel Jones selection at #6 Overall, they nailed the Deandre Baker pick.
Deandre Baker is right about himself: following Pro Day at UGA, he proclaimed to be “number one corner in the nation” and “it is not even close”. I don’t think any other CB has as impressive of a body of work as Baker. Baker while use his drop in the NFL Draft as motivation.
Baker put together back to back seasons as a lock-down CB and had some clutch performances, including a huge interception in the 2018 National Championship Game. Baker won the Jim Thrope award for a reason: he was the best CB in college football last season. Baker’s ball skills will translate to the pro level. Baker allowed minimum separation when facing talented WRs like Deebo Samuel and led the FBS in contested target rate.
Baker excelled in both zone and man coverage at UGA and should fit into the New York Giants system. Teams rarely risked throwing against him and didn’t get good results when they did. Baker allowed the fewest yards per coverage snap among draft eligible SEC corners:
This stat emphasizes that Baker took away his side of the field. Greedy Williams is nowhere to be found on this list. Baker consistently played at a high level for his final two seasons in Athens and put together an impressive body of work. During his Junior and Senior years he had 2+ INTs and nine pass deflections in each season. For Baker, the answer to anyone who thinks he isn’t the best CB is simple: watch the tape. Baker didn’t allow a TD his last two seasons in Athens.
