The New York Giants have a real problem at the cornerback position entering the 2020 regular season.
2019 first-round pick DeAndre Baker is on the commissioner’s exempt list after being charged with four counts of armed robbery, Sam Beal has opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns and a deal with veteran Ross Cockrell fell through after the previously agreed upon financial terms suddenly weren’t his liking.
Needless to say, the Giants desperately need someone to step up and secure that CB2 spot across from James Bradberry.
Might that someone be 2019 sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine?
While we’re just a few short days into full-squad practices, Ballentine has been an early stand-out in training camp. On Friday, the Washburn product broke up several passes, including a would-be touchdown in red zone drills.
Ballentine has also gotten the attention of his coaches for his willingness to learn and ask questions.
“The thing that I appreciate about Corey is that he wants to be coached,” defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “He has come to me and said, ‘I want to be coached. I want to know, and I want feel like I can go out there and play confident.’ I’m making sure that he feels confident when he goes out, giving him instruction, and making sure that he can give it back to me. He’s a guy who has some ability. He’s in the mix, just like everybody else is, to play a big role for us. I’m excited to work with him.”
Ballentine showed flashes of talent as a rookie, particularly during the preseason, but also had to deal with a tremendous amount of personal heartache.
Mere hours after be drafted by the Giants, Ballentine was the victim of a random shooting. His best friend, Dwane Simmons, died during the incident and Ballentine played out the entire season with a bullet still lodged in his body.
With a year to mourn, Ballentine will likely be able to focus more heavily on football in 2020, which should allow his talent to begin shining through.
from Giants Wire https://ift.tt/31XD5vd
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