The New York Giants traded back in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to select Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker with the 30th overall pick.
Coming out Athens, Baker was viewed as one of the best lockdown defensive backs in the draft-class after having a sensational 2018 season in which he won the Jim Thorpe Award, awarded to college football’s top defensive back.
But Baker struggled to adjust to the NFL game during his rookie season, with opposing quarterbacks often picking on the Miami native.
For the first half of the NFL season, it was not looking good for Baker or the Giants. He was getting beat regularly, giving up a ton of room to receivers to make easy catches and was being targeted by opposing quarterbacks.
Apparently, it was not only on the field where Baker struggled.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, it was “not uncommon” for Baker to fall asleep during Giants’ team or position group meetings.
Baker’s rookie season was rocky, to say the least. At one point, he got called out in a team meeting, and his seven touchdowns allowed as the nearest defender was tied for fourth in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. There are questions about Baker’s desire to be great. Sleeping in meetings was not uncommon.
It should be noted, however, that Baker actually turned it on in the later part of the season for the Giants.
We touched on that last December here.
If put in a situation to succeed and coached properly, Baker has all the tools to be on the league’s elite cornerbacks.
