The New York Giants have made a major move to upgrade the talent on their defense during the last week of training camp. The Giants have completed a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, acquiring 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Simmons.

Simmons, the No. 8 overall selection, will be heading to New York after spending the first three seasons of his career in the desert with the Cardinals. In exchange, the Giants are sending a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft back to Arizona.

That compensation is all you need to know about how Simmons’ career has gone thus far in the NFL. Trading a former first-round pick, who is still on his rookie contract, for a seventh-rounder shows just how little value the Clemson product had around the league.

Coming into the 2020 NFL Draft, Simmons was a highly touted prospect. There were some mock drafts that had the Giants selecting him at No. 4 overall, where they picked eventual All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas instead.

It will be interesting to see how Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale deploys Simmons in his scheme. Coming out of Clemson, Simmons was highly regarded as a jack-of-all-trades. He lined up all over the defense, playing linebacker, slot corner, safety and edge rusher getting after the passer.

In his first three seasons with the Cardinals, he played that positionless role. But, coming into the 2023 offseason, he declared that he was a defensive back. Arizona has been working him out exclusively as a slot cornerback and free safety.

The athleticism and instincts are certainly there for Simmons to excel in such a role, but he needs game reps to gain experience. He has had a few mistakes during the preseason and will now have a crash course not only continuing to learn his new position but the Giants’ defensive playbook as well.

It won’t be long until Simmons can show his old team what they are missing out on. The Giants are traveling to take on the Cardinals in Week 2 of the regular season.