The Giants hope what they see from DeAndre Baker is rookie growing pains because at this point it is fair to be alarmed. They traded up into the first round of the draft to get him and he has been far from a quick study.

Baker rarely allowed touchdowns at Georgia – none last season and only 10 first downs from receivers covered by Baker – and was so highly-regarded that Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 16th-best player in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants got him at No. 30.

It has not been pretty, as the viability of his worth ethic, maturity, hustle and attention to detail are all up for debate. On a 51-yard completion to Cole Beasley of the Bills, Baker was so off-the-mark on his coverage former Giants linebacker and current Giants radio analyst Carl Banks took to Twitter to post “He did something that defies the basic instincts of playing cornerback.” Baker loafed and failed to pursue Demaryius Thomas on a 47-yard catch-and-run for the Jets, prompting a talking-to from coach Pat Shurmur. Earlier this season, teammates without naming Baker pointed to assignment busts by the rookie.

Baker’s grade of 32.2 by PFF is dead last among qualifying cornerbacks.

“It’s a much different game to the college game,” Shurmur said. “In the college game they defend no-huddle so they stand in one spot, like he’ll play on the right or the left, he stands in one spot and waits for the offense to come out to him, and they have like 90 plays run at them. This is more strategic. There’s less plays and more happening and there’s a lot to learn.

“He studies, but it’s also the spatial relationship of things happening, the speed of the game, the guys moving around, all that.”

All that is part of playing cornerback in the NFL. So far, not so good for DeAndre Baker.

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