New York Giants Midseason Grades By Position

Safeties: A

The Giants have put faith in young players at the safety position last season and it failed miserably. They have confidence in the players they have and looked to do it again this season, adding Darian Thompson to the mix with the third round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Once again this plan looked doomed as injuries hit in the early going.

Thompson was injured during the offseason and made it through only two regular season games before getting injured again. He was attempting to return but had a setback in practice this week and will miss the remainder of the season. Nat Berhe suffered a concussion in Week 3 and returned last week against the Eagles. Again Landon Collins was left to fend for himself and after a rocky rookie season he has really stepped up in his sophomore campaign.

Collins leads the team in tackles, sacks, and interceptions with 69, three, and three. He also has six passes defended as he is improved in that area. He is still a big player in the run game, as he excels close to the line of scrimmage and has helped turn around the run defense.

The biggest surprise in this unit is Andrew Adams. Adams committed a boneheaded penalty against the Redskins that turned the tide in the game, wiping out a blocked punt. As an undrafted rookie, that is usually enough to get cut. But, he has held onto and it was a good thing that he was. He has played well alongside Collins in the starting lineup. He got his first career interception last week and has held things down well, bouncing back from the bad penalty.

This unit was a big question mark for the Giants coming into the season but Collins has blossomed in his second season. Adams plays well enough in centerfield to allow Collins to roam near the line of scrimmage. Berhe also excels near the line of scrimmage, but Collins has made some progress and is not as much a disaster in pass defense as he was as a rookie.