Being an undrafted rookie is already an uphill battle to have put on you. And then having a death of a best friend in an incident that injured you as well is something that will make that battle even more difficult.
That is what Corey Ballentine had to go through as he went into the first preseason game of his career months after the shooting.
The rookie cornerback produced in his first game of his pro career by intercepting Davis Webb in the third quarter in the Giants' preseason game against the New York Jets. He has been impressing since the start of training camp, and continues to provide the Giants with some optimism about his future. He's not allowing the playbook to get ahead of him, as he's just playing ball.
“I’ve always felt like I could compete at this level with these type of athletes. So the speed of the game wasn’t too different for me. But I think I handled it well. I think I’m fast enough to keep up with them and physical enough to keep up with them as well.”
Ballentine also put together an impressive 40-yard kickoff return in the second quarter that gave the team an understanding of what more he could bring to the table. The only blemish from his performance was a 33-yard pass interference penalty that happened when Adam Gase challenged a pass breakup that Ballentine made.
The Division II product is looking to continue to improve with his first preseason game under his belt.
“Go out here and put my hand in the pile and help this team win a championship, [that’s] my real goal.”
He's a welcome addition to New York.
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