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Have Giants hit a home run with 2024 draft class? It’s still early, but the returns are promising

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Have Giants hit a home run with 2024 draft class? It’s still early, but the returns are promising

Joe Schoen couldn’t have written it better. Of course, the New York Giants general manager would have preferred that his star rookie, Malik Nabers, not miss Sunday’s road game against the Seattle Seahawks with a concussion, but that the rest of the rookies from his 2024 NFL Draft class would go one step further in a memorable match. the win was a pretty good turn of events.

Nabers, the sixth overall pick, was the prize of Schoen’s draft class, taking over the Giants’ offense through the first four games of the season. As big a win as it was to land a star wide receiver at the top of the first round, Schoen needed more to turn this selection around — especially since his first two draft classes haven’t produced the level he likely hoped for. . So far he’s getting it. Besides Nabers, the Giants’ draft class looks promising.

It’s only been five games, but a few have already shown great potential. Let’s take a look at the class by pick, using some Pro Football Focus players and positions (among fellow qualified rookies at their respective positions).

Note: PFF grades provide a good indication of how a player is doing, but are subjective.

WR Malik Nabers, first round, No. 6

PFF grade/rank: 80.4/no. 1

What hasn’t been said about the receiver who not only makes acrobatic catches look easy, but whose football IQ consistently impresses the coaching staff? Four games into his career, Nabers is living up to the hype that followed him during training camp.

Before missing the win in Seattle, Nabers was one of only three NFL receivers to own a greater than 50 percent share of team air yards through four weeks of the season (51.2 percent), according to NFL Pro. That’s a fancy way of saying the Giants’ offense went through him. And even after missing Sunday’s game, Nabers still ranks first in the league in receptions (35), second in targets (57) and seventh in receiving yards (386).

Simply put: he is making a special start to his career.

As for how he fares compared to other starting receivers, the only one in his stratosphere is his former LSU teammate, Brian Thomas Jr. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick (No. 23) has more receiving yards (397) and the same number of touchdowns (three) as Nabers, but has played one more game. The receiver drafted two spots ahead of Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals, however, trails him in virtually every major category aside from touchdowns (Harrison has four). That’s not to say Harrison isn’t a great player either, but there’s little doubt as to which rookie’s career is off to a better start.

Again, it’s only four games, but Nabers is already looking like a franchise-defining receiver and one of the most exciting young players to play in New York in a long time.

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S Tyler Nubin, second round, #47

PFF grade/rank: 68.8/no. 2

Although “Hard Knocks” revealed that the Giants initially hoped to draft a cornerback with their second-round pick, they have to be pretty happy that things turned out the way they did. Nubin has made a huge impact; his coaches already have a lot of confidence in him.

Nubin has played 99 percent of the defensive snaps as the starting safety opposite veteran Jason Pinnock, and he is tied with linebacker Micah McFadden for the team lead in total tackles (31). According to Pro Football Reference, Nubin has allowed just 5 of 10 passes thrown his way to be completed, with an 85.8 passer rating allowed.

“I think the communication is coming out, all the things we expected from him: being a leader on the field, taking control, communicating with guys, helping the guy next to him,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen recently said of Nubin. . “Again, I would go back to just some of the situational awareness in the league. These young guys are kind of learning by fire right now with some of those things, but I’m pleased with how he’s playing, showing up and tackling. He played physically for us.”

One of the other comments from “Hard Knocks” to keep in mind was when Schoen highlighted Nubin’s nose for the ball: He had thirteen interceptions in college and three forced fumbles.

Schoen said this trait generally translates well to the NFL, and while Nubin has yet to record an interception, he forced a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys and recovered one against Seattle.

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PFF grade/rank: 78.2/no. 1

That No. 1 ranking for Phillips, while encouraging, should be taken with a grain of salt. He played just 16 defensive snaps in the opener, left Week 3 after seven snaps with a calf injury, didn’t play Week 4 and played just 23 snaps on Sunday in Seattle.

Still, when Phillips was on the field, he was an impact player.

He forced a fumble in Week 1 and was a maniac on the field. He recorded 12 tackles, including two for loss and one impressive sack of Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels.

“I was really pleased with Dru,” Bowen said after Week 2. “I think his toughness showed up. He was productive. He was involved. The more he plays, the better he’s going to get, I think.”

TE Theo Johnson, fourth round, No. 107

PFF grade/rank: 46.3/no. 8

Johnson has played 79 percent of the offensive snaps as the de facto No. 1 tight end despite his fourth-round status. It was a difficult transition for the rookie; he missed some key blocks and made some mental mistakes early on.

But if push came to shove, he might have turned the corner. After starting his career with three receptions for 37 yards in four games, he had five receptions on five targets for 48 yards in Sunday’s win against the Seahawks.

Johnson looks like part of a prototype, so it was encouraging to see him put in a stronger game on Sunday.

PFF grade/rank: 62.7/no. 5

With Devin Singletary sidelined, Tracy shined in his first career start on Sunday. He rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries (7.2 yards per attempt) and looked explosive with runs of 27, 25 and 13 yards against Seattle.

According to NFL Pro, Tracy’s 47-plus rushing yards were the most of any Giants running back in a game since Saquon Barkley in Week 11 last year (plus-48) and the most of any rookie this season.

“He was tough,” coach Brian Daboll said Sunday. “I mean, I don’t know if he needs to eat more on the sidelines, whatever it is. Give him the ball. You know, he ran fast. He saw the holes. He pressed the hole. Something we worked hard on with him is pushing the gap and setting up blocks. He made some extra meters with the ball in his hands.”

Daboll hasn’t commented on Tracy’s role once Singletary returns, but it’s a good bet he’ll be more involved given how productive he was on Sunday.

It’s not worth highlighting Muasau’s defensive quality as he hasn’t seen the field much since Week 1 (he made six tackles as a substitute for an injured McFadden), but he was a core special teams player and played 45 percent of the special teams snaps.

Fellow inside linebacker Bobby Okereke has played every defensive play, and McFadden has been healthy since Week 1, so Muasau’s opportunities have been limited. If either of them misses time due to injury, Muasau could get a chance to prove himself.

PFF grade/rank: 52.1/no. 7

Chatman emerged as a fun training camp story with a fairytale ending as he landed a roster spot and some early playing time. He has played 32 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps and found his place complementing superstar Dexter Lawrence on third downs.

“Even though Chat is an undersized kid, he’s powerful and strong, and he has the ability to make a dent in the pocket,” defensive line coach Andre Patterson said last week.

Patterson said what allowed Burns to force the fumble during Brian Burns’ strip sack against the Cleveland Browns was Chatman hitting the right guard far enough back that Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson couldn’t step up. Instead, Watson had to step back, allowing Burns to hit the ball free. Chatman also recovered the fumble.

Patterson pointed out that Chatman still has a lot of room to improve, but everything is still ahead of him.

That seems to be the case for many Giants rookies.

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(Photo of Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr.: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

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