Cornerback is a premium position in the NFL draft, not just because of the rare athleticism necessary to be elite, but the impact that a great corner can have on every play.
The New York Giants need to get better play from their secondary in 2026 than they did in 2025. A big part of that is expected to come from improved accountability and coaching, to get the players already on the roster playing up to expectations. But even so, they could still have a need at cornerback which they could turn to the 2026 NFL Draft to fill.
Abney might not go until the second day of the draft but he could become a starter for the right team. Could the Giants fall in love with Abney’s physicality and competitiveness?
Prospect: Keith Abney II
Games Watched: vs. Baylor (2025), vs. TCU (2025), vs. Texas Tech (2025)
Red Flags: none
Height: 6-foot (unofficial)
Weight: 200 pounds (unofficial)
- Competitive toughness
- Disruptiveness at the catch point
- Ball skills
- Versatility
Abney II is a versatile cornerback prospect with a good blend of size and athleticism for the position.
He has experience lining up on both the left and right sides of the defense, as well as following receivers into the slot. Likewise, Abney is experienced in zone and both off and press-man coverages. He’s a relatively easy mover in space and transitions from his backpedal to running with receivers, or breaking on the ball, relatively fluidly. He has enough speed to carry receivers vertically or to have solid range when making plays in off coverage.
Abney is a very physical and competitive cornerback, and is utterly unafraid to mix it up in tight coverage, attack the catch point, or get his hands dirty in run support. He excels in attacking receivers hands at the catch point and saw a significant jump in ball production this year with 12 passes defensed in addition to a pair of interceptions.
He’s at his best in off-man, zone, and zone with pattern matching rules applied. That allows him to use his processing and physicality to disrupt the pass without being at risk for pass interference calls. His size and closing burst also allow him to make plays on the ball around receivers.
Finally, Abney is a willing tackler who brings his arms to wrap up and get ball carriers on the ground. He isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty taking on blockers or making tackles in run support.
- Press-man coverage
- Discipline in hand usage
Abney has a couple limitations in his profile that could stop him from becoming a “CB1” at the NFL level.
Most notably, he lacks elite athleticism for his position. Abney is a good athlete and a smooth mover for his size, but doesn’t quite have the oily hips and electric twitchiness that typifies top-flight corners. That feeds into the other major limitation in his game, though this is one he can work on with NFL coaching.
Abney’s competitiveness, physicality, and slight athletic limitations combine to make him rather “grabby” at the top of routes. He can have a tendency to be overly physical too early in the rep, and while college rules give more latitude to physical coverage, he could be prone to defensive pass interference calls at the NFL level. He’ll need to learn how to play with a light and when to be physical to avoid hurting his own defense. Improvements in technique, such as being more efficient with his turns in coverage, can help allow him to play tight without crossing over into interference territory.
(Abney is the Arizona State cornerback wearing number 1 with white sleeves on both arms.)
Abney projects as a CB2 or high-end CB3 at the NFL level.
He shouldn’t be drafted into a defense that’s built on Cover 1 schemes, nor expected to be an elite “shutdown” corner who follows teams’ top receiver and is expected to take them out of the game. Teams that are looking for elite athletes will want to look elsewhere.
Abney’s versatility, competitiveness, and physicality should earn him plenty of fans among the NFL’s various coaching staffs. Likewise, he has enough athleticism to match up with most receivers in the cover schemes most often played at the NFL level and should be a good pickup somewhere on the second day of the draft.
Does he fit the Giants? Possibly, depending on scheme
Final Word: A second round value
