This might actually be the end of the road for Eli Apple, the former New York Giants cornerback who became 1 of the franchise’s most polarizing 1st-round draft picks of all time when he was selected No. 10 overall in 2016.
“The 49ers have released veteran CB Eli Apple,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Sunday.
Apple was traded to the New Orleans Saints midway through the 2018 season.
Since then, he’s also played for the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
“Fun fact: apparent Eli Apple was still on the 49ers,” 49ers Hub’s Evan Sowards wrote on X on Sunday.
Eli Apple Starred for CFP National Champions
Apple, 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, was a star on Ohio State’s 2015 College Football Playoff national championship team and cemented his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Can be slow to diagnose and anticipate quarterback’s plans,” NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his 2016 pre-draft evaluation. “Average reactive athleticism. Doesn’t feature the balance or twitch to rocket forward and challenge throws if he’s not shadowing his man. Won’t always play to his size as a tackler. Dragged 18 yards after a catch against Penn State. Shows some stiffness as an open-field tackler and allowed four broken tackles this season. Slow to turn head and find ball on deep throws. Becomes Mr. Grabs if he senses the receiver is getting over the top of him or when he’s trying to crowd the top of routes. Had four holding and seven pass interference penalties from 2014-2015.”
Giants Fans Torn Over Eli Apple From Start
We can say now, with history as our guide, that it would have been interesting to see how Apple’s career may have played out save for the interference of 1 person in his life — his mother, Annie Apple.
From the moment her son was drafted, Annie Apple’s constant push to carve out her own slice of fame — and her outspoken criticisms on social media of Giants ownership and people who dared criticize her son — cast a constant pall over his every step.
After an average rookie season in 2016 in which he started 11 of 15 games, Apple’s play cratered in 2017 — along with his standing on the team.
One day after Giants safety Landon Collins called Apple a locker room “cancer” in an interview with ESPN New York, Apple was suspended for the Giants‘ 2017 regular-season finale against Washington.
“The New York Giants suspended cornerback Eli Apple for one game for ‘a pattern of behavior that is conduct detrimental to the team,” ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan wrote on December 27, 2017. “The ban came during an eventful Wednesday that included a confrontation with coaches at practice … an argument ensued in part because Apple, a former first-round pick, was again working with the scout team. Words were exchanged between the embattled second-year player and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, and Apple had to be restrained by teammates. He later declined to talk during an open locker room period with the media.”
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