The New York Giants need defensive back help, specifically playmakers and depth at the third level and on special teams.
Speed and athleticism will be fully displayed when the defensive backs take the stage next Friday (Day 2) during the on-field workouts. This is a group where onlookers will be glued to the finish line of the forty-yard dash.
This draft class includes prospects of different sizes and styles. Some are well-known, like Colorado's Travis Hunter, Michigan's Will Johnson, and East Carolina's Shavon Revel Jr., but there are also lesser-known names we should probably keep an eye on.
Let's look at some prospects that have gone unnoticed during this offseason.
Adams is a long, athletic corner who is one of two Central Florida cornerbacks who have been invited to the combine.
The intrigue behind Adams is his size. He is a press-man cornerback who excels when he can get his hands on receivers. Throughout his career, he averaged an impressive 51.6% completion percentage allowed.
The combination will allow people to assess whether his measurables are worth investing in his development. If he tests extremely well, I would not be surprised if he is a fast riser in the draft.
Adams could be a valuable development piece for the Giants, who could take quality backup snaps and be a real special teams factor.
The combine is about identifying the physical athletes; he could be one of them. He will be a good back-of-the-draft prospect to watch.
While everyone has been discussing Cobee Bryant and his future in the NFL, Dotson has put together an impressive resume. He started 32 consecutive games over his final three seasons with the Jayhawks.
One of the best attributes of the 6-0 190-pound Daytona Beach, Florida native is his ball skills in coverage and his nose for the endzone when he gets his hands on the ball.
Over his five-year career, he intercepted 11 passes and returned five for touchdowns. He has been effective in zone and man coverages, good in press coverage, and adept at disguising zone coverages.
Many believe Dotson will be a mid-Day 3 selection, but if he performs well, he could work his way into an early Day 3 or even late Day 2 selection. He has played a lot of football and would be a valuable addition to the Giants' defensive backfield.
Many have not paid attention, but O'Donnell Fortune performed wonderfully during the postseason evaluation period.
He won defensive MVP at the Shrine Bowl, which capped a senior season that saw him named as an honorable mention in a stack SEC defensive backfield.
Fortune has consistently grown throughout his collegiate career, going from a special teams guy to a spot contributor and finally a full-time starter.
He is a high-quality zone coverage corner who understands pattern recognition and can read the quarterback well.
He can break on routes and attack the football. That aggressiveness has led to seven interceptions over the past three seasons, including three in his final season and an interception returned for a touchdown in the Shrine Bowl.
Scouts will be interested in how he tests, and Giants fans should also be. Many predict him to be an early day three selection but that could easily become a late day 2 pick if he continues his stellar offseason with a quality combine performance.
Hill is a player who has shown tremendous versatility over his four years in college.
After spending his freshman season at Arizona State, he transferred to Nebraska. Midway through his sophomore campaign, the team switched him to receiver. By his junior season, he was back at cornerback, starting and flashing elite-level ball skills.
He only started seven games but recorded a Big Ten conference-best 13 passes defended. He also added four interceptions. He dealt with a foot injury during his senior season, which limited him to five starts, but he still managed to intercept a pass and take it back for a touchdown.
His ball skills are among his best attributes and what he will hang his hat on in the NFL. The combine will be an opportunity to show his fitness level and that he is fully healed from the ailments that left him out of so many contests in 2024.
His performance could see his value jump, but his ball skills are undeniable, which the Giants need in their defensive backfield.
The versatile defensive back started his career at Troy before transferring to Tulane for his final season. He can play in man and zone coverage and be a force as an open-field tackler and in close quarters.
Ransaw's projections would likely be higher if he could take the ball away. He only has eight passes defensed and one interception in four seasons.
Is it a matter of ball skills, a lack of closing speed needed to pick a pass off, or the scheme that caused such paltry numbers? These are the questions that Ransaw will be trying to answer at the combine.
If he knocks it out of the park, he could solidify himself as an early Day 3 selection.