Dravon Askew-Henry

New York Giants: One low-key defensive back is climbing the roster

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New York Giants, Dravon Aksew-Henry

The New York Giants underwent their first intrasquad scrimmage of the 2020 off-season on Friday. With the defense and offense both facing off against one another, we got to see some of the players in action. Despite Xavier McKinney and Ryan Connelly sitting out due to rest purposes, according to head coach Joe Judge, plenty of players earned an opportunity to showcase their abilities.

Fourth-round pick Darnay Holmes recorded an interception on a diving play over Golden Tate near the boundary, and Julian Love showed out once again in a safety role. However, low-key defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry emerged as a dark-horse contender for a roster spot.

Henry had previously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers but was released and joined the XFL and the New York Guardians. When the XFL went under, the Giants signed Henry to the contract in hopes of extracting his potential this year. On Friday, he recorded two pass breakups, building upon his early success in camp.

How can Dravon Askew-Henry make the New York Giants’ roster?

As a player capable of playing cornerback, Henry could sneak his way onto the roster in that way. Currently, the Giants have Corey Ballentine, Holmes, Prince Smith, and Askew-Henry as potential suitors for the CB2 position. Of course, I would be remiss not to mention Julian Love, who has the ability to play corner, having started there during his collegiate career with Notre Dame.

There’s no question that Dravon has the genetics to go along with his talent. His cousin is former All-Pro cornerback to Darrelle Revis. With Askew-Henry possessing the natural ability and instincts to be a quality NFL player, hopefully, a Patrick Graham lead defense can find ways to maximize his abilities.

With a bevy of young secondary players fighting for a roster spot, it will take an extremely impressive camp to cement a spot on Judge’s no-nonsense team. Nonetheless, he has started off strong.

Did the New York Giants land a darkhorse defensive back in XFL standout Dravon Askew-Henry?

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New York Giants, Dravon Aksew-Henry

Most people probably have no idea who Dravon Askew-Henry is. The New York Giants recently signed the former XFL stand out as an addition to their defensive backs to brew competition during the 2020 preseason.

Henry is a Pennsylvania native, and most are unaware that he is a cousin of former Jets All-Pro cornerback Darelle Revis. Henry comes from a long lineage of talented football players, and he was on pace to being a draft pick in 2019. Unfortunately, an ACL injury suffered in 2016 put him at a disadvantage and hurt his physical skill set. However, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, but his stint in the NFL was short.

Askew-Henry made subsequent stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots before eventually landing with the XFL last season. The New York Guardians under head coach Kevin Gilbride landed Askew-Henry, and while the XFL season was cut short, he recorded 12 tackles and six pass breakups.

So, where does Henry fit into a crowded New York Giants defensive backfield?

As a defensive back, he will be competing with rookie Xavier McKinney, second-year player Julian Love, Corey Ballentine, Darnay Holmes, Chris Williamson, and more.

He has a tall task ahead of him if he wants to earn a spot on the active roster, but based on his film, Askew-Henry possesses the athletic ability to compete at the NFL level. He has the power and explosiveness to shoot downhill and stop the run if need be, and he is a fundamentally sound player that could fill a role on special teams in a worst-case scenario. I expect him to compete for the starting nickel role, where there’s currently an open spot available for the taking.

Do I think Askew-Henry is a Darkhorse player? Probably not.

However, you can’t write off players too early, and all New York Giants fans know that after seeing what Victor Cruz became at the wide receiver position. Nonetheless, there’s a ton of competition in the secondary, but a lot of the talent available is not at an above-average or elite level, giving Askew-Henry a solid chance of landing an active spot if he can hold his own during training camp.

New York Giants Sign Former XFL Defensive Back Dravon Askew-Henry

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New York Giants, Dravon Aksew-Henry

The New York Giants are signing former XFL defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry. Askew-Henry was most recently with the New York Guardians, prior to the new football league suspending operations and filing for bankruptcy.

The XFL shutting down left a large sum of employees jobless. Until today, Dravon Askew-Henry was one of those left jobless by the XFL’s bankruptcy. Now, the 24-year-old defensive back from West Virginia University is signing with the New York Giants.

Dravon Askew-Henry Stats And Highlights

Dravon Askew-Henry, a former New York Guardian, is being added to the Giants’ youthful secondary. New York has invested plenty of assets and draft capital into their secondary in recent years. Askew-Henry is the latest addition.

With the sports world being halted by the world pandemic coronavirus, NFL teams are unable to administer medical tests to free agents. So even though the Giants and Askew-Henry have come to an agreement, the transaction is contingent upon Askew-Henry passing a physical when travel restrictions are lifted.

Dravon Askew-Henry played in four games for the New York Guardians this season. In those games, he totaled 12 combined tackles. Askew-Henry stands in at 5-11 and weighs 187 pounds. This will not be Dravon’s first stint with an NFL team.

Askew-Henry went undrafted in 2019, despite impressive performance at the collegiate level. With West Virginia, Dravon started 51 games in four seasons, totaling 215 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 10 passes defended. Dravon Askew-Henry was later signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.

Now, a year later, Dravon has signed with the New York Giants. He will be brought in as a solid depth piece in the secondary. He is a safety but could potentially slide in at slot cornerback, one of New York’s weakest positions. This is a quality, out-of-the-box signing by Dave Gettleman and the Giants. Dravon Askew-Henry is a low risk, high reward player that could compete for a starting role on the defense.