Matt Citak
PFF names Dru Phillips Giants' most underrated player
Following the conclusion of the 2024 campaign, the Giants' rookie class was widely praised for their performance throughout the season.
While wide receiver Malik Nabers garnered most of the media's praise, and rightfully so after setting a new franchise record with his 109 receptions, he was far from the only member of the 2024 draft class to do so.
Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macrirecently chose the most underrated player from each team heading into the 2025 season. For the Giants, he went with second-year cornerback Dru Phillips.
"Phillips was thrust into a key role as a rookie, manning the slot and playing more than 600 defensive snaps in a potential sink-or-swim scenario for the third-round pick out of Kentucky," wrote Macri. "To Phillips' credit, he performed at a high level despite missing some time with injuries, finishing with a 77.5 PFF overall grade a top-10 mark for the position.
"Phillips was one of just eight cornerbacks to rank in the top 25 in PFF coverage grade (75.8) and PFF run-defense grade (78.1) in 2024 and one of just three (Cooper DeJean and Kyler Gordon) to do it while spending the majority of his snaps in the slot, where his run-defense skills come into play more often."
The young cornerback played in 14 games with six starts in his first NFL season. He registered 71 total tackles (46 solo), seven tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
According to PFF, the slot corner allowed just 41 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown on 335 snaps in coverage.
Of the 77 corners from across the league that played at least 600 snaps this season, Phillips finished as PFF's seventh-best cornerback overall and the second-best among rookies, behind only Philadelphia's Cooper DeJean.
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