Cor’Dale Flott will battle for a bigger role in Giants defense

The scourge of injuries on the New York Giants 2022 draft class was a sight to behold. They seemingly dropped like flies. Cor’Dale Flott was among the lucky ones who managed to have a semblance of a rookie season, but he, too, did not escape unscathed. In Year 2, he hopes to find his bearings and contribute more meaningfully toward the Giants’ defense.

By the numbers

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 175
Age: 22 this season
Position: Cornerback
Experience: 1
Contract: second year of four-year, $5,241,844 rookie deal | $992,248 guaranteed at signing | 2023 cap hit: $1,191,328

Career to date

Flott was selected out of LSU by the Giants with the 81st overall pick in the 2022 draft. He was known for his versatility, having lined up at outside cornerback, nickel corner, and safety in his three playing seasons at LSU. He had 10 pass breakups, one interception, and three forced fumbles in 35 games (21 starts). In his junior year, he posted an 81.3 Pro Football Focus grade, promoted mainly by an 84.8 coverage grade, as he allowed a passer rating of just 73.3 when targeted and a 51.1% completion rate.

Flott missed six games as a rookie, five of them due to a lingering calf injury. He played 335 snaps as a rookie, mostly as an outside corner but occasionally as a box safety or in the slot. Flott’s 73.0 PFF coverage grade ranked 30th out of 118 cornerbacks (min. 195 cover snaps), showcasing some promise at corner. His 12% forced incompletion rate was in the 57th percentile, showing that he was active around the ball.

Still, Flott’s thin frame showed up at the next level, as his 54.7 PFF tackling grade (39th percentile) and 43.0 run defense grade (ninth percentile) were detrimental to the defense.

2023 outlook

Flott could move to the slot, at least at times, with the Giants’ selection of Deonte Banks in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. NFL defenses are often more comfortable with their thinner players at that position, as it requires less physicality off the ball. Flott played 222 coverage snaps in the slot as a junior at LSU, so it’s not a position that’s unfamiliar to him. His passer rating when targeted in the slot that season was 68.4, which ranked in the 77th percentile among FBS slot corners.

It’s unlikely that the Giants will just hand him the position, though. Darnay Holmes was the Giants’ primary slot corner last season, seeing 293 snaps there. Holmes is still on the Giants’ roster as of now, although releasing him would save them $2.743 million of cap space. That may ultimately be GM Joe Schoen’s call, but Flott is not the only player vying for the spot; Aaron Robinson, Nick McCloud, and even Xavier McKinney can all take snaps there.

I do think the Giants would prefer to have Flott win the position, but the playing time is up for grabs behind Adoree’ Jackson and Banks. Flott could also be a backup on the outside.