Two years into his NFL career, Prince Amukamara has yet to live up to his billing as a highly-touted first-round draft pick who was supposed to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
But after a week of training camp, Amukamara has looked every bit like that player the Giants were hoping they’d see when they selected him 19th overall in 2011.
“I think that every corner in this game wants to be the No. 1 corner and so that’s just the mindset that I have,” Amukamara said after practice yesterday. “Just my confidence with this position, playing defensive back, you’ve got to have a certain level of confidence.”
Anyone can say they want to be a No. 1 cornerback, but proving it is something else. Amukamara has been very impressive so far, making defensive plays daily, and added another one yesterday with an interception.
Amukamara has benefited from having veteran cornerbacks on the team, including Aaron Ross, who many thought Amukamara would replace as the Giants starting corner in 2012.
“My rookie year here, Ross, Corey [Webster] and Terrell [Thomas] … everyone was always helping each other out, especially me, and I applaud Ross just for the position he was in, when they drafted a first-round corner in the last year of his contract,” Amukamara said.
Ross signed with the Jaguars before last season, but Amukamara injured his ankle during training camp and was forced to miss the first two games of the season, although he did start 11 of the 13 games he played in.
Webster is entering his ninth year with the Giants, and Amukamara said he would like his game to be similar to that of the veterans.
“I look at Corey’s game and I tell myself, ‘That’s where I want to take my game,’ and not just on the field, but off the field,” Amukamara said. “That’s where I want to get my game to, if not better than Corey’s of course, and if you have two guys that are locked down and are great corners, I think that just makes the whole defense better.
“Right now, I sit right next to [Terrell Thomas] in the room and he is definitely just a student of the game. He is on me more than the coach. He doesn’t even let himself settle, so he’s not going to let me settle. Always wants me to get better and better every day.”
Amukamara’s rookie year was offset by a foot injury suffered during a training camp practice, which caused his NFL debut to be pushed back to Week 11. Last year’s ankle injury only cost him two games, but staying on the field is an important hurdle for him.
“I just feel healthy,” he said. “My goal is just to play in all 16 games this year and I think if I do that, everything will take care of itself.”
While the blame cannot solely be placed on his shoulders, Amukamara was part of a Giants defensive unit which ranked 31st in the league last season, allowing 383.4 yards per game. If he can stay healthy and play at a high level, the defense should be a lot better in 2013.
“I think we put the most pressure on ourselves more than anyone else,” he said. “ Just with the traditions of defenses here, we know what the standard is and we’re just trying to get that done and exceed that standard, and that’s just everyone working together as a team.”