Tyler

Nubin

It feels like an aggressive questionable as Burns officially missed all three days of practice this week, but it’s likely a good sign for his availability for Week 4. Joining Burns as questionable are CB Deonte Banks (calf) and S Tyler Nubin (calf) as the Giants try to right the ship with Jameis Winston under center.

Nubin’s rookie season comes to a close. The 2024 second-round NFL draft pick totaled a team-high 39 coverage tackles and ranks fourth on the team in run-defense tackles with 32. His loss will be felt by the Giants’ defense.

The Giants acquired this pick in the deal for Leonard Williams, and they use it to procure help in the secondary. Nubin (6’1/205) comes from a family of athletes, with his parents both lettering at Eastern Michigan and his brother, Jordan, walking on to the Minnesota football team and leading the Gophers in rushes this year. A three-star cornerback from the 2019 class, he spent most of his freshman season on special teams and as an apprentice to Tampa Bay star S Antoine Winfield before taking his starting spot when Winfield left for the NFL in 2020. He lined up in the slot at a 2-to-1 ratio over the course of his Minnesota career as a four-year starter and all-time interceptions leader in Gophers history. His Minnesota career culminated with the defender leading all FBS safeties in PFF cover grade and completion rate (30%) en route to Second Team All-American honors. Nubin had meniscus surgery after the season which contributed to him skipping the Combine and posting a decent 4.59s 40-yard dash (70th%) to go with a brutal 4.51s shuttle (18th%) and 31.5” vertical (24th%). His raptor-like 32” arms are ideal for the safety position, but Nubin’s 10 bench reps and 3.72 RAS isn’t a particularly encouraging score from an athleticism standpoint. Nubin is a well-schooled playmaker with the range of a converted cornerback and aggression of a second-line enforcer. He didn’t commit a single coverage penalty last season and is flexible enough to line up all over the formation. Wildly productive on both defense and special teams, Nubin isn’t a heat seeker in blitz packages but projects as a reliable free safety starter who brings his lunch pail to work everyday.

“Size and ball skills could see him contribute in multiple subpackages under new coordinator Joe Rossi or on special teams,” Hellman writes. The analyst notes that at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Nubin comes more or less ready to play right out the box after signing on with the Gophers as a four-star recruit this winter. Rivals ranked him as the No. 25 safety prospect in the 2019 class.