Dave Gettleman trusted DeAndre Baker so strongly that the Giants traded to the first round of the 2019 draft to get a Georgia cornerback.

As it turns out, Gettleman’s belief in different cornerbacks might have to be a saving grace for the Giants defense in 2020, given Baker’s serious legal problems, while he was sitting in prison in Broward County, Florida, awaiting indictment with four counts of armed robbery and four accusations of aggravated attack. with firearms.

In July 2018 Gettleman crossed into additional draft waters, taking Sam Beal, a cornerback from Western Michigan. That is a calculated risk, because choosing Beal means the Giants lose the third round of choice in the 2019 draft.

Before the 2019 draft, Gettleman said, “For what it’s worth, we really feel very strongly that if Sam were in this draft, he would be the second round of choice.”

At that time, Beal was characterized as perhaps the best prospect to ever come out of an additional design.

The time will soon come for the Giants to see what Beal can do for them. There may be little hope that Baker will be available every time the training camp takes place this summer, and of course there is a chance that Baker will never play for the Giants, or in the NFL, again. The legal system in Florida will have a say in this matter.

Meanwhile, the Giants must move without Baker. The original plan was to pair Baker, out of a difficult beginner’s year, with James Bradberry, a $ 45 million gift signed at a free agent, as a starter outside Cornerback. Beal, Corey Ballentine, Grant Haley and rookie Darnay Holmes will compete for the role of corner slots, with safety beginner Xavier McKinney may be able to fill the place from time to time.

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Of the young groups, Beal is by far the most physically capable of handling Baker’s corner work. At 6 feet-1 and 192 pounds, one of the athletes who gets off the bus you see and says, “I’ll bring it.”

Logan Ryan, 29, is a proven cornerback available on the market, but he is more than a nickel angle and will not directly address Baker’s absence. Beal’s length and speed – it records 4.4 seconds on the 40-yard dash on its Pro Day – is ideal for players in charge of handling top receivers at the border.

Beal’s rookie season was spent on injury reserves after shoulder surgery and the second season was postponed by tense hamstring, making him a bumpy and frustrating start to his NFL career. He made his NFL debut on Sunday 10 years ago against the Jets and, with veteran Janoris Jenkins freed from an ankle injury, finally starting three of the six matches he participated in, ended with 26 tackles. The initial struggle gave way more than a glimpse that he could be a productive player.

When he sat down, Beal remained humble but it was not difficult to see the confidence that came out of him. He was asked what his best attributes were and he said, “Cannot mention it. I have too much.”

Beal also said he would be eligible for the first round.

“I’m different,” he said last season. “I’m smart, I’m fast, and I’m fast at the same time. You can be fast, you can be fast, but I am fast and I am fast. And I’m a physical angle. If they put me anywhere, I can play it. I got the door span. I can get a part-time job like anyone else. “

The new Giants coaching staff have not been able to see what Beal can do firsthand, in front of them, on the field, with players participating remotely in a voluntary offseason program.

New head coach Joe Judge insists there is no official depth chart, but there are plans for players and initial thoughts about who fits where. With plans that had to be continued without Baker, Beal came next.