The Giants signed sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine, the defensive back who was shot the morning after he was drafted, to a rookie contract, the team announced Thursday.

Ballentine missed rookie mini-camp while he was recovering from a gunshot wound to the glute in a shooting that left his friend and former Washburn teammate Dwane Simmons dead.

Ballentine, who is expected to make a full recovery, joined the Giants earlier this week for the first time. The Giants told him to spend time with friends and family as he recovered from the non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

A 5-foot-11, 196-pound cornerback, Ballentine ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 39.5-inch vertical leap at the NFL combine.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein projected Ballentine to be a fourth-round pick, highlighting his size and strength but noting he could be a better press player.

As a redshirt senior with Division II Washburn, Ballentine averaged 30.6 yards per kick return, blocked three kicks and recorded 50 tackles and three interceptions.

Ballentine is the sixth draft pick to sign a rookie contract with the Giants, joining fourth-round cornerback Julian Love, fifth-round linebacker Ryan Connelly, fifth-round wide receiver Darius Slayton, seventh-round offensive tackle George Asafo-Adjei and seventh-round defensive linemann Chris Slayton.

The four picks who are unsigned: first-round quarterback Daniel Jones, first-round defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, first-round cornerback DeAndre Baker and third-round linebacker Oshane Ximines.

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