Giants’ 2019 NFL Draft: CB Julian Love selected 108th overall

The New York Giants selected cornerback Julian Love in Round 4 of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday, 108th overall. Love, from Notre Dame, was one of two cornerbacks remaining on our Big Board who had second-round grades.

Love, 5-foot-10 3/4, 195 pounds, projects best as a slot corner. Per Dane Brugler of The Athletic in his annual draft guide:

Love’s lack of ideal size, speed and suddenness will be tougher to mask vs. NFL receivers, but his velvet feet, intelligence and ball skills are the type of traits worth betting on, projecting best in the nickel.

Love’s reaction to being selected by the Giants:

Love was a consensus All-American in his final year at Notre Dame, during which he recorded 63 tackles, 16 passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and one interception. With Love, 30th overall pick Deandre Baker and 2018 Supplemental Draft selection Sam Beal the Giants will have three first-year cornerbacks.

SB Nation’s Notre Dame website, One Foot Down, expressed surprise that Love was not selected during the draft’s first two days:

Love was the 5th rated cornerback according to NFL.com but so far there have been 11 corners picked during the first three rounds. Every corner in the top 12 except Love went to bed Friday night with an NFL home.

It has to be extremely frustrating for Love after a year that saw him become a Thorpe Award finalist and a consensus All-American.

In a conference call shortly after the selection was announced, Love was asked what he brings to the Giants:

“I think I’m a pretty physical player, I don’t shy away from contact at all. If anything, I show a lot of effort, I’m a smart player and I make plays,” Love said. “That’s what I’ve done my whole life and I’m excited to do that going forward. I’m just going to continue to be a playmaker.”

The pick is the first of six the Giants are scheduled to have on the final day of the draft. Below, what the Giants have done thus far.

Giants draft picks

Round 1 (No. 6) -- Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

Round 1 (No. 17) -- Dexter Lawrence, DL, Clemson

Round 1 (No. 30) — Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

Round 3 (No. 95) -- Oshane Ximines, EDGE, Old Dominion

Round 4 (No. 108) — Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame

Round 5 (No. 143) --

Round 5 (No. 171) --

Round 6 (No. 180) --

Round 7 (No. 232) --

Round 7 (No. 245) --

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