Every player selected near the top of the NFL draft wants to prove he is worthy of getting taken so high. Deandre Baker has even more to live up to: The Giants gave up a bundle to get him. General manager Dave Gettleman parted with three draft picks to get up into the back end of the first round to take the cornerback from Georgia.
There is some pressure to live up to being the marquee player in such a deal.
“I just come in and play my game and just show them they haven’t made a mistake by coming to get me,’’ Baker said Friday at Giants rookie minicamp. “Just want to come in and help the team.’’
The Giants gave up a second-round pick (No. 37), a fourth-round pick (No. 132) and a fifth-round pick (No. 142) to get to No. 30 to land Baker, who they consider to be the best cover corner in the draft. Baker will compete for a starting job alongside Janoris Jenkins, the only proven veteran cornerback on the roster. The Giants are eager for Jenkins to show Baker, two other corners (Julian Love and Corey Ballentine) taken in the draft and Sam Beal (a supplemental pick in 2018) the ins and outs of playing the position in the NFL.
“He’s a South Florida guy, he plays with a lot of swagger, a lot of personality on the field,’’ Baker said of Jenkins. “Great player, I love watching him. It’ll be good, just getting all the techniques and things he can teach me to get better. … It’ll be good for me.’’
One look at Dexter Lawrence is all you need to determine he is a naturally huge man. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 342 pounds, carries that immense weight remarkably well and is expected to be an immediate help as a run-stopper. The Giants took him with the No. 17 pick and insist he can be a factor as a pass rusher, even though Lawrence had just 10 career sacks at Clemson and just 3.5 sacks in his final two seasons.
“Definitely underrated,’’ Lawrence said of his ability to get to the quarterback. “It’s kind of on me to prove myself, right, because I know who I am and to prove others wrong. I’ve always been able to collapse the pocket, now I’m focused on escaping blocks or finishing the plays and things like that.’’
Former Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey was signed after he went undrafted and is listed as both a quarterback and tight end on the Giants’ roster. The 6-3, 220-pound Dungey has no experience at tight end. In 2018, he nearly ran for as many touchdowns (15) as he threw scoring passes (18).
“He was a key guy, a guy that we targeted,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said. “We wanted to bring him in and look at him as a quarterback and see how this grows.’’
WR Darius Slayton from Auburn, a fifth-round draft pick, is renowned for his speed but has a history of dropped passes in college. He dropped two of them early in practice but recovered nicely later in the session.