{"id":238256,"date":"2025-07-11T11:00:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=238256"},"modified":"2025-07-10T15:53:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T19:53:52","slug":"giants-tyler-nubin-breakout-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/11\/giants-tyler-nubin-breakout-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Former 2nd-Round Pick Could Be Breakout Star on Giants Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Giants selected safety Tyler Nubin out of Minnesota in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.<\/a> Nubin represented an infusion of young talent into the team\u2019s secondary and the defense overall. In the Joe Schoen era, the Giants have invested heavily in the secondary, with mixed results. Cor\u2019Dale Flott has been inconsistent, despite being a top-100 pick. Former first-round cornerback Deonte Banks struggled against opposing WR1s in 2024.<\/p>\n

Now, Schoen is pairing the second-year safety with established veteran Jevon Holland and an upgraded pass rush unit<\/a> in front of him. With these additions, Nubin could be the defense\u2019s breakout star<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n

Tyler Nubin Could Be a Breakout Star on Giants Defense<\/h2>\n

Tyler Nubin’s Promising Rookie Season<\/h3>\n

As a rookie, Nubin played 754 of 756 available defensive snaps. In total, he had 93 total tackles and posted just a 9% missed tackle rate. Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.0 run-defense grade<\/a>, which ranked as the second-highest among safeties in the NFL last season. Ideally, defenses don\u2019t want their safeties leading in run defense stats, as that typically means opposing runners are reaching the second level. Still, Nubin\u2019s individual run defense grade didn\u2019t translate to team success. The Giants earned just a 68.5 run defense grade<\/a>, the fourth-worst in the NFL.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t an indictment of Nubin\u2019s performance. Instead, it suggests that with a stronger defensive line in 2025, he\u2019ll have the freedom to play more instinctively on the back end. He wasn\u2019t dominant as a rookie, but he did establish a solid foundation on an otherwise struggling defense. The key to his breakout potential lies in improving his pass defense, specifically being around the football more often.<\/p>\n

College Tape Offers Encouraging Insight<\/h3>\n

In college, Nubin had a nose for the football and consistently forced turnovers. He set a school record with 13 career interceptions and earned a 90.1 PFF coverage grade<\/a>. His ability to make plays on the ball made him an appealing top-50 pick for a Giants defense that values range and versatility. Newly hired coordinator Shane Bowen runs a scheme built around two-high safeties and zone concepts. Nubin was projected to play a role similar to what Kevin Byard did under Bowen in Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that wasn\u2019t the case in Nubin\u2019s rookie season. Across 754 snaps, he recorded just one pass deflection\u2014the only time he got his hands on the ball all year. However, his college tape offers hope that, as the game slows down for him in Year 2, those ball-hawking tendencies will return. If that happens, Nubin could break out this season and solidify the secondary.<\/p>\n

How Nubin Fits into the Giants System<\/h3>\n
\"Tyler
New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin (31) runs onto the field before the start of the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bowen\u2019s defensive system is an ideal match for Nubin\u2019s instincts. It relies on two-high shells and frequently rotates three-safety sub-packages. In 2024, Nubin was paired with Jason Pinnock in the back end. While Pinnock is a solid depth player, he was forced into a starting role. He struggled against the run and, despite his athleticism, was a consistent liability in coverage.<\/p>\n

Nubin and Jevon Holland Could be a Dynamic Duo<\/h3>\n

Now, with former Dolphins captain Jevon Holland lined up beside him, Nubin has the opportunity to flourish. Holland has a proven knack for making plays in the passing game. Together, the duo could confidently split the deep half of the field, something that wasn\u2019t possible in 2024. Last season, Nubin was forced to cover Pinnock\u2019s mistakes, often playing two roles at once. With a reliable partner next to him, he can return to form as an aggressive safety who takes smart risks to create turnovers.<\/p>\n

This offseason<\/a>, there\u2019s growing excitement about the potential of the Giants\u2019 defense in 2025<\/a>. While the upgraded pass rush<\/a>, including rookie Abdul Carter, could elevate the unit, the true X-factor may be the development of their young secondary<\/a>. Among that group, Nubin has the best chance to emerge as the Giants’ breakout defensive star in 2025.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Giants could get a big year out of him in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5408,"featured_media":239381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[7889,7307,32379],"class_list":["post-238256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giants","tag-jevon-holland","tag-new-york-giants-roster","tag-tyler-nubin"],"modified_by":"Josh Buckhalter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238256"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":239384,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238256\/revisions\/239384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}