Giants’ Tyler Nubin emotional as NFL career begins

Tyler Nubin’s emotions almost got the best of him before his first practice as an NFL player with the New York Giants.

“Almost shed a tear when I saw my helmet and my locker,” Nubin, a safety drafted in Round 2, said. “ It’s just awesome. Just being able to be out here, play the game I love, again, especially for this great, storied organization, I couldn’t thank this organization enough.”

The Giants drafted Nubin as a replacement for Xavier McKinney, who signed with the Green Bay Packers in free agency. The Giants are looking for both play-making, and eventually, leadership in the secondary from Nubin.

After selecting him, GM Joe Schoen referred to Nubin as a “culture-changer” at the University of Minnesota.

Nubin sounded like a player who wants to lead during Friday’s session with media.

He said he had been learning the playbook via Zoom calls with defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and other assistants.

“Right now, I’m just trying to learn as much as possible, be as vocal as I can, try to put myself and everybody else in positions to succeed,” Nubin said. “So just being able to learn and be a sponge and soak up as much as possible and be able to give that to other guys, that’s my main goal right now.”

Can a 22-year-old rookie really be a leader?

“I think everybody can be a leader. Everybody can be a leader on a football team no matter who you are,” Nubin said. “I’m going to try and learn as much as I can and soak up as much information as possible so I can be able to help myself and my teammates out.”

Nubin had 13 career interceptions at Minnesota, including five in 2023.

“I definitely take pride in being able to help my team,” he said. “I want to be able to help my team in any way possible. Whatever job they want me to do, whether it’s going to get the ball, dropping down, or making tackles, I take pride in the job that I have. So, whatever I got to do I’m going to do it.

“I think all my interceptions come from my preparation really and how I approach the game, how I study, and how I work throughout the week. So, it’s hard work. It’s a lot that goes into making plays on Saturdays and Sundays. I’m still learning, and I can’t wait to keep learning.”