2019 NFL Draft: Deandre Baker becomes first CB off the board

The New York Giants traded back into the first round of the NFL Draft to make their third pick of the night, selecting Georgia CB Deandre Baker at No. 30.

It’s been a tumultuous night for the New York Giants, but with their third pick of the first round they selected Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker in their first logical move of the offseason.

The Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns earlier this offseason to pick up the No. 17 overall pick, and then moved back into the first round to grab a third first round pick. Here’s the details of the trade with the Seahawks:

Seattle receives: No. 37, No. 132, No. 142

New York receives: No. 30

Seattle entered the week with only four total draft picks, the least amount in the NFL. Now, after wheeling and dealing earlier in the week and during the draft, the Seahawks now have nine draft picks, among the highest in the league.

It’s been a difficult night for Giants fans. At No. 6 overall, Dave Gettleman pulled the trigger on Duke quarterback Daniel Jones in what could go down as one of the worst picks in the history of the NFL Draft.

At No. 17, the Giants took a very good player in Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, but he’s a questionable fit with Dalvin Tomlinson already occupying the nose tackle position in the Big Apple.

Deandre Baker is the first cornerback off the board, which is a bit of a surprise. The consensus seemed to be that LSU’s Greedy Williams and Washington’s Byron Murphy were ahead of Baker, and in the lead up to the draft there was a lot of hype building for Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin.

Baker might not have the ceiling of Williams or Murphy, but he arguably has the highest floor. Baker was the Thorpe Award winner as the best defensive back in college football last season. He was excellent in coverage, and he should immediately be able to come in and help the Giants’s secondary in 2019.

To move up seven picks and select Baker, the Giants gave up fourth and fifth round picks. The selection of Baker stopped the bleeding after a rough night for fans of the team so far. This doesn’t redeem the reaches with the first two picks, but the selection of Baker stops the bleeding a little.

Grade: B+