Undrafted RB Jashaun Corbin has big chance with Giants

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll said after the first day of rookie mini-camp in early May that undrafted free agent running back Jashaun Corbin has “stood out a little bit” during practice.

Can Corbin take that good start, build on it, and turn it into a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster. Let’s talk about the former Texas A&M and Florida State running back as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the Giants’ 90-man roster.

By the numbers

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 202
Age: 21
Position: Running back
Experience: Rookie
Contract: Year 1 of three-year, $2.57 million UDFA deal | Guaranteed at sign: $110,000 | 2022 cap hit: $708,333

Career to date

Corbin averaged 5.5 yards per carry over four collegiate seasons, two each at Texas A&M and Florida State, carrying the ball 320 times for 1,771 yards. He caught 60 passes for another 360 yards (6.0 yards per reception).

Dane Brugler of The Athletic graded Corbin as a priority free agent, which is exactly what he turned out to be. Brugler wrote:

A two-year starter at Florida State, Corbin was part of a committee backfield in former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham’s gap-based scheme. After a major hamstring injury in 2019 at Texas A&M, he regained his form with the Seminoles and led the ACC in yards per carry in 2021, although he appeared to lose steam down the stretch (averaged 7.9 yards per carry in the first seven games, but only 3.6 yards per carry in the final five contests). Corbin uses his peripheral vision to settle his feet and set up his cuts, both at the line of scrimmage and at the second level. However, he is more quick and timely than dynamic or explosive. Overall, Corbin doesn’t have ideal burst or contact balance by NFL standards, but he offers patience, vision and pass-catching versatility to potentially round out an NFL backfield.

That “major hamstring injury” Brugler mentioned was Corbin tearing his hamstring off the bone and needing to have it surgically re-attached.

Corbin told Dan Duggan of The Athletic that going undrafted was added motivation.

“Obviously, I was a little hurt not getting drafted, but honestly, it’s a blessing in disguise,” Corbin said. “It just adds another chip on my shoulder. I just feel like that’s the story of my life, having to prove people wrong and prove the people who believe in me right. I’m just thankful they gave me the opportunity and I’ve got to go make the most of it.”

2022 outlook

Unsettled is perhaps the best way to describe the Giants’ running back depth chart behind Saquon Barkley.

Five-year veteran Matt Breida has the clear inside track to be the No. 2 back, but Breida has only carried 85 times combined over the past two seasons, and the 2021 season saw him get a career-low 26 carries in nine games.

Gary Brightwell was drafted in Round 6 a year ago by the previous regime, and barely played on offense. He is a special teams player first. Antonio Williams was a practice squad player in Buffalo who played in one game for the Bills over those two seasons. Sandro Platzgummer is a third-year player from the International Player Pathway program, and has yet to appear in a game.

So, there is definitely an opportunity for Corbin. We’ll see if he can take advantage of it.