Who Is Isaac Yiadom?

The most glaring hole on the Giants’ roster is the outside corner opposite of James Bradberry IV.

With the Deandre Baker situation, and Sam Beal opting out, the Giants were left with a giant question mark in that position. Rookie fourth-round pick Darnay Holmes has certainly impressed, but he has more of a slot corner build than that of an outside corner.

That left the Giants with Julian Love, Corey Ballentine, and Logan Ryan as CB2 candidates…until Thursday.

On Thursday, the Giants and Broncos agreed to a trade that would send third-year cornerback Isaac Yiadom to New York in exchange for a 2021 7th round pick. Yiadom never really lived up to the hype in his time with Denver, but making this trade was a low-risk, high-reward move for the Giants.

The Measurables

Yiadom stands 6’1” and weighs in at 190 pounds, exactly the outside corner body-type that the Giants have been looking for. A Boston College alumnus, Yiadom is just 24 years old with plenty of room to grow. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at the combine, just a bit over the average for a cornerback in 2018.

His play at Boston College and his performance at the combine was good enough to find himself being selected 99th overall in the 2018 draft.

What Kind of Player is He?

Yiadom appears to be more of a press-man type player. He is a big physical corner who plays his best when he is jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Joe Judge has consistently said that he intends to tailor the game plan around his player’s strengths, so perhaps the Giants will put Yiadom in more press-man situations. He also has flashed the ability to contain the run and protect the boundary.

With that said, Yiadom is definitely not a surefire starter right away, but he has a lot of raw talent. With the right coaching, he could definitely find himself playing meaningful snaps for Big Blue in 2020. For a more in-depth analysis, check out Nick Falato’s article on Big Blue View; he uses game film to show some of the positives and negatives in Yiadom’s game.

What to Expect

The Giants acquired Yiadom for a relatively cheap price, which obviously shows Denver did not value him too highly. Being a third-round pick, there is an expectation that you will perform; he did not. Coming to the Giants gives Yiadom a fresh start, which could help take some of the pressure off, and allow him to play better.

The Giants will likely not ask Yiadom to do much that he can’t do. They will put him in positions where he can succeed and give him a bigger role if he earns it.

For now, I would expect him to fight for outside corner snaps with Corey Ballentine, Logan Ryan, and Julian Love.

Good Move?

Overall, it was a solid, low-risk move. The Giants gave up a 7th rounder in exchange for a former third-round pick with upside. Giants fans will likely see Yiadom struggle throughout the year, but they’ll also see him flash. He does not have to be an every-down corner.

He, Ballentine, Love, and Ryan can rotate in and out as necessary. He also has some special teams experience, which we all know Joe Judge loves.

It was a necessary move for a team desperate for outside corner help.

Featured Image: Joe Amon/The Denver Post