5 things to know about incoming safety Tyler Nubin

2. He calls himself a “Swiss Army knife.”

When asked what he will bring to the Giants, Nubin said he is comfortable anywhere on the field.

“I can move around everywhere,” he added. “I can blitz. I can come down and hit the box, I can play over the top.”

Of course, Nubin admitted he is “real comfortable” in center field and “running under the ball and going to get it.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Nubin last season played 468 snaps deep, 198 in the box, 84 in the slot, 13 on the defensive line, and five at corner. Nubin posted a career-best 90.1 coverage grade in 2023 (first among Power Five safeties) and allowed a 33.0 passer rating in coverage from 2021 to 2023, according to PFF.

“It comes from my preparation, for real,” Nubin said. “I feel like that’s really what it is – how I approach the game, the things I do throughout the week to set myself up for success on the weekend, on Saturdays, now Sundays, to make the game easy.”

3. He has an opportunity to make an immediate impact.

Safety Xavier McKinney, the 36th overall pick by the Giants in 2020, was one of two players to play every snap for his team in the NFL last season (Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke was the other). But the fifth-year pro signed with the Packers as a free agent, creating an opening in a new-look defense under Shane Bowen. Nubin will enter a competition with Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton, and Gervarrius Owens.

“We were very, very fortunate to get Nubin there, a guy that we spent a lot of time with,” general manager Joe Schoen said. “He had an injury (knee). We went out to his pro day when he was healthy to see him out there. Obviously losing X in the offseason, to get Nubin at that value, a guy with high character, leadership, smart, tough, dependable and then the 13 career interceptions. Just a good football player. Culture changer at the University of Minnesota and he’s going to bring that type of mentality here. … Just a really special kid that’s a good football player.”

Toughness was a common theme among this year’s draft class. Coach Brian Daboll said it is “near the top” on the list of traits they covet in a player.

“I played like six games on a torn meniscus last year,” Nubin said. “Got it scoped at the end of the season. I kind of accelerated my recovery process to get myself ready for the Combine, because I really wanted to compete at the Combine and pro day. So, that kind of bit me in the butt a little bit. It affected me, but honestly, I wouldn’t do anything differently than I did because I really just wanted to compete.”

Nubin had an opportunity to leave after his senior season in 2022 but returned to finish his education. He also got another year to play with his younger brother, Jordan, who is a running back for the Gophers. Nubin’s father, Rodney, played college football at Eastern Michigan, where his mother, Sherese, ran track.

His late uncle, Steve King, played in the defensive backfield with Ty Law and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson at Michigan. Nubin wore No. 27 and has a tattoo of the number as a tribute to him.