Darian Thompson has competition for his job after rough 2017 season

Darian Thompson is a player who excited the New York Giants when they drafted him in 2016. Some of that shine has faded, though, due to injury and poor performance.

Let’s look at what Thompson might bring to the Giants in 2018 as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man training camp roster.

The basics

Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 208
Position: Safety
Experience: 2

2017 season in review

After missing all but two games in 2016 due to a foot injury, Thompson started all 16 games for the Giants last season. The problem was, he didn’t play particularly well.

Thompson was selected in the third round by the Giants after earning a ball-hawking reputation at Boise State with a Mountain West Conference record 19 career interceptions, supplemented with six passes defensed.

He flashed some of that ability during the 2016 presesason, but didn’t showcase it in 2017. He had just one interception and six passes defensed. Per Pro Football Focus, though, Thompson led the Giants in missed tackles with 13 and his 52.2 PFF grade was in the “poor” category.

With a new coaching staff in place, Thompson faces heavy competition for the starting free safety role. Andrew Adams, Curtis Riley and Michael Thomas are all players who could steal playing time from Thompson if he doesn’t make more plays and miss fewer tackles.