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The Giants head into the 2015 NFL Draft with just three players on their roster whose natural position is safety. The longest-tenured is Cooper Taylor, in his third year with the team after being drafted in the fifth round in 2013. Taylor has battled injuries in his first two seasons, a hamstring and shoulder his rookie year and then a foot injury in 2014 that knocked him out for the entire season. He has the size and speed that Giants scouts loved coming out of college, and the team hopes he can stay healthy in 2015 and contribute at the safety position.
Nat Berhe heads into his second season after being a fifth round pick of the Giants in 2014. He impressed Giants coaches last year with his special teams play, as well as his ability to adjust to the physical and mental rigors of the NFL game. Berhe played a hybrid safety/linebacker position near the line of scrimmage in college at San Diego State, but Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin said at the league meeting that he believes Berhe can play both deep and near the line of scrimmage.
Thomas Gordon returns for his second season with the Giants. Originally brought into camp last year as an undrafted free agent from Michigan, he was cut at the end of the preseason before being re-signed to the practice squad in December.
Coughlin also mentioned two cornerbacks on the roster that have the skills to potentially help at safety: Chykie Brown and Bennett Jackson. The former is in his fifth year out of Texas and joined the Giants halfway through last season after being let go by the Ravens, where he played for four years and Steve Spagnuolo was a defensive assistant. Jackson was a sixth round pick for the Giants last year out of Notre Dame and is recovering from a knee injury that cost him his rookie year.
The Giants will likely carry more than three safeties this offseason, and it remains to be seen if some of those additional players will come out of the draft or not.
Photos of the Giants Safeties