Giants Now: 2 Giants land on PFF’s top rookies list

2 Giants land on Pro Football Focus’ top rookies list

Through the first stretch of the season, the Giants are among the league leaders in snaps played by rookies. Not only have they been on the field a lot, but the first-year players have also been producing.

Pro Football Focus recently released their ranking of the top rookies through the first five weeks of the season, a list that featured two Giants, starting with wide receiver Malik Nabers.

“Nabers missed Week 5 due to a concussion but has been a big-play threat already in his Giants career, recording at least one catch of 25 yards in every game he has played in,” wrote PFF’s Gordon McGuinness. “His 2.54 yards per route run ranks second among rookie wide receivers in 2024.”

Despite missing last week’s game, Nabers still leads the NFL with 35 receptions. His 386 receiving yards now ranks seventh in the league, but was all the way up at No. 2 prior to him missing Week 5.

Nabers became the first player in the Super Bowl era with at least 30 receptions, 300 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns in his first four career games, while his 35 receptions were the second-most through four games in NFL history.

Nabers also has at least five receptions in each of his first four games, tied for the fourth-longest streak to start a career since at least 1970. The three players with the longest streaks to start their careers are CeeDee Lamb (six games in 2020), Nacua (five games in 2023), and Terry Glenn (five games in 1996).

The second Giants rookie on the list is cornerback Dru Phillips, who returned to action this past Sunday for the first time since leaving the Week 3 game in Cleveland early due to a calf injury.

“On the field for 23 snaps against the Seattle Seahawks — all on passing plays — Phillips continued to impress in Week 5,” McGuinness wrote. “From 71 snaps in coverage, he has allowed eight receptions for only 37 yards.”

Phillips has played in a little over three games (he left Week 3 in the first half) and has totaled 21 tackles (11 solo), three tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble.

While Nabers and Phillips were featured by PFF, the Giants have gotten contributions from many members of their rookie class this season. Safety Tyler Nubin has led the team in tackles for the past two weeks and has missed only two defensive snaps all year, while running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and tight end Theo Johnson both put together their strongest games of the season against the Seahawks in Week 5. Even defensive lineman Elijah Chatman has gotten into the mix with a sack against the Browns.

Overall, it’s been an encouraging start to the season for the Giants’ 2024 rookie class.

“It was good to see the rookies,” coach Brian Daboll said after Sunday’s win. “They’re developing still. This is October now, so you’re trying to figure out September some of the things you need to work on. And one game really has nothing to do with the next. We’ll do it all over again against a very challenging opponent, high powered team coming up here in a week.”