He received about twenty scholarship offers, including offers from Alabama, California, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Purdue, Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan, Ole Miss, Nebraska, North Carolina, NC State, and Clemson and ranked his top three schools as Rutgers, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.
[3] On February 12, 2012, he announced his verbal commitment to Ohio State after Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
[17][18] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Apple was projected to be an early to mid first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.
[25] It was reported that the Giants had initially planned to draft linebacker Leonard Floyd or offensive tackle Jack Conklin.
Giants' General Manager Jerry Reese opted to keep the tenth overall pick and selected Apple who was their highest graded player available on their draft board without any issues or injuries.
[29][30] Apple entered training camp slated as the third cornerback on the depth chart behind veterans Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Head coach Ben McAdoo named Apple the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season and first-team nickelback.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Giants' season-opener at the Dallas Cowboys and recorded four solo tackles during their 20–19 victory.
[31] On September 25, 2016, Apple earned his first career start and recorded one solo tackle in a 29–27 loss to the Washington Redskins, but left the game in the second quarter after suffering a hamstring injury.
[33][34] On November 7, 2016, he started his second game in a row and made four solo tackles against the Philadelphia Eagles but was benched in favor of Trevin Wade as the Giants won 28–23.
[35] On November 14, 2016, Apple started his first game at outside corner, with Rodgers-Cromartie covering the slot and made one solo tackle in a 21–20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
[37] On December 4, 2016, Apple recorded five combined tackles, broke up two passes, recovered a fumble, and made his first career interception in the Giants' 24–14 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13.
Apple intercepted a pass attempt by Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, which was originally intended for wide receiver Eli Rogers, during the third quarter.
On October 15, 2017, Apple recorded five solo tackles and a career-high three pass deflections, helping the Giants gain their first victory of the season over the Denver Broncos.
[56] Head coach Sean Payton immediately named Apple a starting cornerback, reuniting him with former Ohio State secondary teammates Marshon Lattimore and Vonn Bell.
[69] Following Super Bowl LVI, Apple became a subject of scrutiny and mockery for allowing Cooper Kupp to score the Rams' game winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
[70] He had previously trash talked and trolled other players on social media, notably Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, who had lost to Apple and the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game two weeks prior.
[74] On July 29, 2023, Apple signed with the Miami Dolphins, after starting cornerback Jalen Ramsey suffered a knee injury.