New York Giants 2023 UFA Primer: DB Julian Love

Since New York Giants safety Julian Love was picked in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he’s made strides in his development.

Coming out of Norte Dame, Love made for a promising prospect that backed up his potential with impressive numbers. After a productive freshman season with the Fighting Irish, where Love finished with 45 combined tackles, three passes defended, and an interception, Love took his game to a new level as a sophomore.

That year in 2017, Love had 68 combined tackles, 20 passes defensed, three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. As a junior, Love would come away with 63 combined tackles, 16 passes defended, and an interception before declaring for the NFL Draft.

When Love entered the NFL, it took some time for him to establish his footing and produce at the same level he did back in college. As a rookie, Love played in 15 games (started in 5) and came away with 37 combined tackles, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and an interception.

The very next season, Love went on to play in all 16 games (722 defensive snaps) and nearly doubled the number of combined tackles he had (64), to go along with three passes defended and an interception.

In 2021, Love played in all 17 games that season and continued to progress despite his snap tally dropping to 612. Even with the limited reps, Love had more combined tackles (66) and more passes defended (7) compared to his 2020 season, to go with his sole interception and fumble recovery.

Love’s 2021 performance would ultimately set the stage for what was to come in 2022, where for the first time, Love started in all 16 games, accumulating a career-high 1,006 defensive snaps in the process.

GIANTS UFA PRIMERS: QB Daniel Jones | IOL Nick Gates | RB Saquon Barkley | C Jon Feliciano | IDL Justin Ellis | RB Matt Breida | LS Casey Kreiter | OLB Jihad Ward | Sterling Shepard | IDL Nicholas Williams | DB Tony Jefferson | S/ILB Landon Collins | WR Richie James | P Jamie Gillan | WR Marcus Johnson | ILB Jaylon Smith | OLB Oshane Ximines | CB Fabian Moreau | WR Darius Slayton

2022 Recap

When Love made the strong safety role his, the 24-year-old didn’t disappoint. And in the process, he delivered the best performance of his young career.

In the 16 starts he received, Love proved what kind of tackling machine he can be, finishing with 124 combined tackles (first on the team), 79 of which were solo tackles (also first on the team). In addition to his tackling heroics, Love had 30 stops and two interceptions (both career highs), five passes defended, a forced fumble, and he came away with his first sack.

To see Love transform into this kind of defender and leader on the field was remarkable and illustrated how productive he could be when given a full starting workload. This season capped off Love’s best showing of his career and highlighted how versatile of a talent he truly is.

Why Giants Should Keep Him

The biggest reason the Giants should keep Love comes down to his growth and improvement from season to season. Since the 2019 campaign, the Giants have seen three head coaches and three defensive coordinators. But despite the constant change in system and tactics, Love still found a way to make the most of his reps every season, and in the process, it led him to evolve into a solid safety in this league.

His commitment to being the best version of himself, from his dedication to putting his all into every play, along with his ability to take accountability for his mistakes, Love showed the Giants how special of a leader he is, and that’s so invaluable to have in a locker room.

Love is just 24 years old, and the best may be yet to come for him in this defense. With plenty of good years in him, Love’s ceiling is quite high as he continues to build on his strengths and understanding of the game.

Why Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him

If there is one area of Love’s game that needs some improvement, it’s his pass coverage. Considering Love has been targeted 45+ times in his last two seasons, the Giants might want to reconsider some alternative options before committing to him in 2023, particularly since his pass coverage hasn’t improved in three years.

Love has failed to keep his reception percentage below 70 percent over his last three seasons, conceding 1,027 yards and nine touchdowns (three in each season). Moreover, Love had 20 passes defended in college as a sophomore yet has not once surpassed seven in his four seasons in the NFL.

Though safeties have various responsibilities in the defensive secondary, pass coverage is arguably their biggest. And the fact that Love has continued to struggle with his pass coverage (despite the increase in reps this season) doesn’t bode very well for this Giants defense, which has been trying to improve its pass defense.

Keep or Dump?

Despite the pass coverage woes, the Giants need to re-sign Love to a two-year deal and grant him the opportunity to pick up where he left off in 2022. Seeing how well Love thrived in Wink Martindale’s system and how consistent he was in his first season with 16 starts under his belt, the Giants could have found something special in Love and should try to bring back the young safety on a fair deal.