Giants Now: The Athletic’s Dane Brugler praises Giants’ draft haul

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler praises Giants’ draft haul

After months of preparation, the Giants walked away from the 2024 NFL Draft with six new players.

Here is a recap of the Giants’ full 2024 draft class:

• Round 1, No. 6 – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
• Round 2, No. 47 (from SEA) – Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
• Round 3, No. 70 – Dru Phillips, CB, Kentucky
• Round 4, No. 107 – Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State
• Round 5, No. 166 (from SF through CAR) – Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Purdue
• Round 6, No. 183 – Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA

“There’s a lot that goes into it, and you know, I like where we ended up this weekend and now that it’s all said and done, we still have free agency and we are out there working on that now,” general manager Joe Schoen told reporters Saturday evening. “I feel like we’re in a good spot after the Draft.”

Many members of the media agree with the Giants’ GM.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler released his annual team-by-team draft rankings, listing out the draft classes from 1 to 32, in which the Giants landed at No. 7.

Brugler chose his favorite pick by each team along with a Day 3 pick that could surprise. In terms of his favorite Giants pick, the draft analyst chose wide receiver Malik Nabers.

“The Giants drafted several of “my guys” in this draft — Nabers, Andru Phillips and Tyrone Tracy Jr.,” wrote Brugler. “But it all starts with Nabers, who would have been an easy top-five pick in most other drafts. Luckily for the Giants, they were able to nab him at No. 6, giving their offense the truly explosive threat it had been missing.”

Explosive indeed. At just 20 years old, Nabers registered the most plays of 10+ yards, the most plays of 20+ yards, and the most plays of 30+ yards in the nation last season. This helped him finish his collegiate career as LSU’s all-time leader in both receptions and receiving yards.

He also ran an unofficial 4.35 40-yard dash and registered a 42-inch vertical with a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches – all of which would have been near the top of the leaderboard among wide receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine.

When it came to his favorite Day 3 pick for the Giants, Brugler went with running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., although he also gave a shoutout to tight end Theo Johnson.

“Devin Singletary and Eric Gray are solid players, but Tracy has an opportunity to make an immediate impact, both on offense and as a return man,” said Brugler. “The former wide receiver is at his best as a pass catcher, but as long as he has a lane, Tracy can create big plays. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention TE Theo Johnson, as well, whose value could climb if Darren Waller doesn’t return in 2024.”

In his first season as a running back last year, Tracy registered 113 rush attempts for 716 yards, good for an average of 6.3 yards per carry, with eight touchdowns. He also added 19 receptions for 132 yards, along with 16 kick returns for 408 yards (25.5 avg.) and an additional touchdown.

His 2023 performance led to him being named Second-Team All-Big Ten (AP), Third-Team All-Big Ten – Return Specialist (Coaches), and Honorable Mention (Media), along with All-Big Ten Honorable Mention – Running Back (Coaches, Media).

As for Johnson, he saved his best performance for this past season when he caught 34 receptions for 341 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which were personal-high marks for the 6-foot-6 tight end. He was voted an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree by the coaches and media.