Former New York Giants first-round pick and cornerback Eli Apple is not done playing football at age 30 in August.
Last night, on July 27, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that “veteran cornerback Eli Apple is signing a one-year deal with the [San Francisco] 49ers, per Kevin Conner at @UniSportsMgmt.”
The Niners will become Apple’s seventh NFL team since entering the league in 2016. And considering how the former top-10 selection’s career began, he’s managed to earn a reputation as a somewhat reliable rotational CB over the years.
After the Giants traded Apple to the New Orleans Saints in 2018, he has signed with the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and 49ers, in that order.
Apple has appeared in 102 regular season NFL outings over his nine-year career, which has included 82 starts and 12 playoff appearances with the Giants, Saints, Bengals, Dolphins and Chargers.
The Giants’ bust has been credited with 67 total pass breakups, 6 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles, as well as 9 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks.
Eli Apple Was Part of a Chain of Giants’ Draft Mistakes
There’s a reason the Giants have only made the playoffs once since their 2016 Wild Card defeat, and twice since their last Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2011 season. They have not drafted well, and more specifically, they’ve wasted premium picks.
The Giants had a chain of first-round misses after Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014, starting with offensive lineman Ereck Flowers in 2015. Apple was next after that in 2016, with tight end Evan Engram in 2017.
Although Apple and Engram are still bouncing around the league and have enjoyed mild success at various points of their respective careers, neither of these players made enough of an impact in New York to warrant a first-round pick.
Together, the trio of NYG busts set the organization back years, and more recent draft mistakes like Kadarius Toney and Evan Neal have continued to prevent the Giants from breaking out of this 10-plus season slumber.
Deonte Banks Is Attempting to Avoid Following in Apple’s Footsteps as the Next Giants’ First-Round Cornerback Bust
The Giants spent another first-round pick on a cornerback in 2023, selecting Deonte Banks out of Maryland.
Unfortunately, after a strong rookie season, Banks has tailed off dramatically. Entering training camp this summer, Banks isn’t even being guaranteed a starting spot, reportedly facing competition from Cor’Dale Flott with free agent signing Paulson Adebo locked into the CB1 role.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan provided an update on Banks versus Flott on July 27, but it didn’t really inspire much confidence in the former first-round pick.
“Flott and Deonte Banks continued to rotate as the CB2,” Duggan noted on Sunday. Adding: “Neither [is] standing out in that competition yet.”
Duggan also relayed that star wide receiver Malik Nabers “beat Banks for a catch on a corner route” on July 27.
Banks has struggled to contend with the opposition’s top wide receivers after his immediate ascendance to CB1. Hence, the Adebo signing this offseason.
The goal is for Banks to revive his rookie form with less pressure, as the Giants’ CB2. But at least so far, Banks has yet to step up and win that job from Flott, who’s proven to be a versatile but flawed backup-caliber talent.
If Banks continues to regress in year three, the comparisons to Apple will eventually emerge.
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