Michigan running back Blake Corum runs against Iowa defensive back Xavier Nwankpa (1) during the second half of U-M's 26-0 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: S Xavier Nwankpa, Iowa

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Nick Falato | Last updated Mar 18, 2025 10:45 AM ET

Xavier Nwankpa's physical traits are enough to get excited about, but he has some flaws that need to be cleaned up to reach his full potential.

Xavier Nwankpa, S

A former five-star recruit out of Southeast Polk High School in Altoona, Iowa, where he was the number one ranked Iowian recruit and the first overall graded safety in the 2022 recruiting class.

Nwankpa played as a true freshman, earning the Team Hustle Award for his work on special teams. He started Iowa’s Bowl Game against Kentucky as a true freshman and played 1,299 snaps over the next two seasons. Here are Nwankpa’s college statistics:

The highly sought-after Nwankpa earned a pick-six in his first college start against Kentucky, one of two picks in his college career. Nwankpa aligned as a single-high and deep-half safety in Phil Parker’s defense, while also doing well in the robber role in the intermediate parts of the field.

Strengths

Xavier Nwankpa Freshman Highlights ᴴᴰ https://t.co/lqFMnPWmXC @YouTubeより
中身が1分半は短すぎるし、ハイライトだけじゃよくわからん。
— Andrew mLuck (@AmLuck12) July 8, 2024

Weaknesses

Summary

Xavier Nwankpa has a ton of potential that hasn’t been actualized yet – he hasn’t lived up to his five-star grade. Still, his length, build, and athletic ability are an excellent combination that few safeties possess.

He’s adept at coming forward and attacking the line of scrimmage or routes underneath him. Still, he has questionable eyes and seemed susceptible in his back-pedal when covering the deeper portions of the field.

His athletic ability and range would suggest he should thrive in this role, but the game may move too fast for him at the moment, for he loses his assignment with match responsibilities, leading to blown coverages.

He’s still a young player, and these lapses could be corrected. Nwankpa has the potential to execute any safety assignment, but he must clean up the tunnel vision to earn that trust.

His physical traits provide a high floor; his ceiling would be through the roof if he fully grasps the system he’s drafted into. He won’t fall into the first round, but the grade below reflects his wide range of outcomes based mostly on his potential.

GRADE: 6.3B*

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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