• Phillips is locking down his opposition: He has allowed only 11 receptions for 46 yards and a position-leading 4.2 yards per reception rate. The rookie has yet to surrender a touchdown this season while letting up only two first downs into his coverage, both league-best marks.
• There is room for improvement, of course: He has yet to record an interception or force an incompletion, one of just three qualifying cornerbacks who can say that through Week 7.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
2024 has not been kind to the New York Giants.
They’re 2-5, they are tied with the Patriots for second-fewest points in the league and the rest of the teams in their division look very well set up for the immediate future.
One thing Giants fans can get excited about is the early returns on their 2024 NFL Draft class. First-round receiver Malik Nabers has gotten off to a scorching hot start, while second-rounder Tyler Nubin has been showing exactly why he was widely considered the best safety in this class. But it’s third-round cornerback Andru Phillips who is perhaps the biggest standout.
Taken with the 70th selection out of Kentucky, Phillips hit the ground running in his debut against the Vikings, putting up an 84.3 PFF game grade and a 90.9 PFF coverage grade on only 16 snaps. The soon-to-be 23-year-old hasn’t looked back from that strong start, as he has yet to record PFF overall or coverage grades under 60.0 in any game all season. Through Week 7, Phillips sports an 83.3 PFF overall grade, a 74.4 PFF run-defense grade, a 78.2 PFF tackling grade, an 80.6 PFF pass-rush grade and an 81.4 PFF coverage grade — all of which rank in the top seven among defensive rookies this season.
Highest Graded Rookie Cornerbacks Through Week 7
Phillips looks even better based on more traditional numbers, as he’s allowed only 11 receptions (five of which came in Week 2 against the Commanders) for 46 yards and a position-leading 4.2 yards per reception rate. Only Samuel Womack III of the Colts has allowed fewer yards. Phillips has yet to surrender a touchdown this season while letting up only two first downs into his coverage, both league-best marks.
Even when Phillips does allow a reception, he’s quick to make a play. He has made a stop (solo tackle that leads to offensive failure) nine times in coverage, tied for the seventh most in the NFL. Teams are also not testing the rookie cornerback, as his average depth of target is just 1.7 yards — the lowest in the NFL among qualifying cornerbacks.
PFF WAR indicates Phillips has been the sixth-most valuable rookie cornerback (0.09 wins above replacement) this season, not far behind first-place Quinyon Mitchell of the Eagles, at 0.12. However, the cornerbacks ahead of him have all played at least 50 more snaps, which factors into the WAR number.
Andru Phillips' 2024 Game Log
The one knock you can make against Phillips is that he hasn’t been very opportunistic on defense. He has yet to record an interception or force an incompletion, one of just three qualifying cornerbacks who can say that through Week 7.
The rookie largely goes under the radar with most NFL fans as a result. However, he does all the little things extremely well. He isn’t utilized as often as many others, as his 193 snaps this season rank just 12th on the Giants, but perhaps that’s a mistake New York needs to rectify. With how productive Phillips has been to open his career, the Giants may have found another gem in what’s already looking like a home-run draft class.
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