Giants CB Darnay Holmes Reveals How He's Been Learning to Master the Slot Position

Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes is only a 22-year-old rookie, but don’t let his youthfulness fool you into thinking he doesn’t have a clue or two about life.

Holmes, the Giants’ fourth-round draft pick out of UCLA, has shown thus far in his young life that he’s able to come out on top against almost every type of adversity life throws at him both on and off the field.

Holmes’ latest challenge has been making the switch from a perimeter cornerback. After having a successful three-year college career on the perimeter at UCLA, where he finished with eight interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns) and 17 passes defensed, Holmes has made the transition to the slot.

He’s done a pretty good job of it, too. In eight games with two starts, Holmes has allowed 25 out of 39 pass targets to be completed for 243 yards (9.7 yards/completion) and no touchdowns, making him the only rookie cornerback in the NFL with at least 15 pass targets against him to not allow a touchdown to date this season.

“He's a very coachable kid. He's very tough,” said Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson of the team’s 2020 fourth-round draft pick.

“That's one of the things that you lose inside—you're really close to the ball in the air, and you're involved in a lot of the run game, setting the edge and turning things back to the inside pursuit, and you even blitz a little from that slot cornerback spot.

“So it's a position where you really want a physical player and that's one of his strong suits. For his size, he's got a lot of power, a lot of strength and plays explosively. He's done a good job in there showing that all season.”

Holmes is a diligent football student who, between absorbing the knowledge dropped on him by his veteran teammates and his coaches, and doing his own film study to find the slightest competitive advantage, has developed into a critical piece for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense.

“It pretty much starts with knowing what you're doing and who you gotta beat," Holmes told Giants Country by phone. "Coach Graham and Coach Henderson, they do a really good job of implementing different ways to help you get to your landmark.” 

“At the end of the day, everyone is going through different battles mentally and physically. So once I get out there, I want my opponent thinking, ‘Okay, what is he doing right now? He hasn't shown this film.’ So really just being creative within the scheme and keeping your opponent guessing as to what moves you’re going to make that might stop him from making a play against you.”

Holmes equates his NFL experience to a game of chess, a hobby he took up while a student-athlete at UCLA.

The way he sees it, it’s important always to be several steps ahead of your opposition because, in doing so, one can create just that tiniest sliver of doubt that might slow the opponent down just enough or cause them to make a mistake.

To that end, Holmes has thrust himself into the NFL game, which he views as one giant chess board just waiting to be mastered to where in addition to keeping opponents out of the end zone, he hopes to keep them from recording passes against him.

The things he’s learned so far have paid off, but Holmes said he still has a long, long way to go.

“You’ve got to learn the board before you can really challenge at an advanced level,” he said. “I haven’t hit that peak yet because I'm constantly learning each and every day,” adding that he learned something new that he is hoping to unleash against the Eagles this weekend.

The other side of that is that Holmes is very forgiving of himself if he makes a mistake. Cornerbacks by nature are supposed to have a short memory as it is, but some struggle with that, especially if their mistake ends up altering a game's outcome.

Holmes doesn’t have that problem, and that’s probably due to the trials and tribulations he’s gone through from childhood.

When Holmes was ten years old, his father, former Bills and Packers running back Darick Holmes landed in a hospital after being shot multiple times following a drug deal gone bad.

And when Holmes was a freshman at UCLA, he gave up his dormitory room to his mother after being evicted from her home, Holmes seeking shelter at the team’s training facility.

While all that would be enough to send someone over the edge, Holmes found the inner strength to keep his life on the right path. He graduated with a degree in African American studies in just 2½ years while balancing the demands of playing football and preparing for a possible NFL career.

“People call it mindfulness, just being in tune with your higher self,” Holmes said. 

“So it was just something that I feel like everyone should be in tune with, or for me, it was just really being in tune with my breathing. I learned breathing anchors you back down to that place of stillness and calmness.

“It's like, why would I be stressed? It just takes me out of my element if I am stressed. So sometimes a lot of people might not understand why I have a center space or why I'm so still or so calm, but it's just the way I like to operate because if you're too high or too low, you allow your emotions to destroy you.”

And if the occasional bad play does pop up?

“I’m at peace because I know that I'm putting my best foot forward, and whatever occurs, I'll be happy with it,” he said. “I know that in life, something inevitable is going to come, so when it comes, it's not about dwelling about it; it’s about what your approach is and how are you going to move forward?”