New York Giants’ rookie class is making the grade

Positivity is scarce around with this disastrous 2024 New York Giants team. The team is currently 3-13, fresh off a home victory which ended a franchise record 10-game losing streak. Embarrassing is an understatement with this team. It’s difficult to imagine a worse scenario transpiring since the end of the 2022 season, especially considering the 2025 NFL Draft situation.

We at Big Blue View wrote a mid-season rookie report card during the BYE week. The Giants were outscored 140-59 prior to their 45-33 beatdown of the Colts in Week 17. Brian Daboll received a forlorn quarterback situation of Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito after the departure of Daniel Jones, who was also mediocre at best.

Daboll’s future is uncertain, although it’s clear that ownership does not want to cycle through regimes. General manager Joe Schoen will attempt to hang his hat on this 2024 Draft. Quality assets were identified in this class, but that doesn’t excuse the many oversights that transpired in recent memory. The future cap situation and the Giants’ 2024 class are Schoen’s defense to ownership for retaining his job. Is it enough?

Here’s the 2024 Rookie Report Card with just one week left in the season:

Round 1 (No. 6): Malik Nabers, WR

The Giants selected the star receiver over quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix. The jury is out on McCarthy due to his knee injury, but Nix lightly pushed Jayden Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year in the middle parts of the season, and Penix Jr. flashed in his second start last week. Should the Giants have gone with their favorite of the three to fix this Giants’ quarterback room? It’s certainly difficult to definitively say no, but Nabers as a “consolation” prize is a best case scenario.

Nabers broke Odell Beckham Jr.’s franchise rookie reception record and now has 104 catches with one game to go on the season. He has caught 104 on 162 targets for 1,140 yards with six touchdowns. Nabers is 165 yards away from tying Beckham’s rookie season yardage mark. He could plausibly do that in Week 18 against Philadelphia, although that would be his second highest single-game mark on the season.

The Giants found a true wide receiver one in Malik Nabers. He can effectively play X, Z, or in the slot. He can win any matchup and he finds ways to secure contested catches thrown in his area code. He’s a difference maker, and an explosive threat the Giants lacked for years. If the Giants can locate a competent quarterback, Nabers will solidify himself as a top-five wide receiver in the NFL.

Grade: A
Mid-season Grade: A

Round 2 (No. 47): Tyler Nubin, S

Nubin quickly seized the starting safety spot over Dane Belton after the rookie missed the first few weeks of training camp. He led the Giants’ defense in snaps and was second behind Bobby Okereke in tackles before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery. Nubin was placed on IR three games after the mid-season report card.

The rookie remains second in tackles on the Giants with 98; Micah McFadden leads the team with 107 tackles. Nubin has not played since the New Orleans loss but he still leads all rookie defenders in tackles.

I am optimistic about Nubin. He flies around the field with controlled aggression and displays elite short-area quickness around the line of scrimmage. However, he only earned one pass defensed through his entire rookie season. — Nubin had 11 passes defended and 13 interceptions in college.

Grade: B
Mid-season Grade: B

Round 3 (No. 70): Dru Phillips, CB

Phillips is a difference maker. Every NFL defense is looking for a Dru Phillips — a reliable overhang player who can cover, blitz, and be a force in run defense. Phillips understands how to avoid and deconstruct blocks. He’s instinctual with elite closing burst. Here are plenty of impactful plays made by Phillips in the first half of the season:

Phillips came away with his first interception of the year against Joe Flacco and the Colts. He has 67 tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, and one pass defensed through 13 contests. His statistics don’t necessarily reflect a home-run pick, but the level of impactful plays coupled with the run/pass competance makes me love this selection in the third round. Was his rookie year perfect? No, but Phillips has a bright future as a Giant and his skills transcend coordinators.

Grade: A+
Mid-season Grade: A+

Round 4 (No. 107): Theo Johnson, TE

Johnson played two games after we assigned his mid-season grade. He played 73 and 89% of snaps, respectively, in those two games before landing on IR with a season-ending foot injury that required surgery. He caught 8 of 11 targets for 93 yards in those two games, and was showing promise down the stretch of the season, although there is still room for improvement.

Tight end is one of the more challenging positions to play as a rookie. It was a tough early transition for Johnson, who — during training camp — said learning Brian Daboll’s offense was like “drinking water out of a fire hose.” Johnson struggled with his assignments and as a receiver through the first six weeks of the season, although his blocking was always an asset. We haven’t seen him consistently play to his elite combine numbers, but some of his catches in recent weeks show glimpses of a high-end athlete.

The Giants were perfectly comfortable throwing Johnson into the deep end. He never played less than 70% of the snaps in a game, and he’s now solidified as a tight-end one on the team. He’s stretched the seams multiple times and made defenses pay for playing Cover-2. The game has seemed to slow down for Johnson.

It’s unfortunate that he’s missing valuable snaps and development — even in this lost season — but he remains a high upside player with good foundation as a blocker.

Grade: B-
Mid-season Grade: C+

Round 5 (No. 166): Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB

Both Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Malik Nabers eclipsed the 1,000 yards from scrimmage mark. The former Hawkeye and Boilermaker has 780 rushing yards (4.4 YPC) with five touchdowns and 36 catches for 277 yards with one receiving touchdown. There were stretches of the season where Tracy Jr. was by far and away the most exciting aspect of the Giants’ offense.

Assistant general manager Brandon Brown discussed the process behind selecting Tracy Jr. — a former WR who is older — and how the Giants believed they identified a difference maker at value. It appears the Giants were correct. As excited as I am about Tracy I don’t view him as a full-time work horse back, and his best utilization would be in a committee.

Although he’s an older rookie, there’s still a lot of room for growth, especially from a ball security stand point. There’s rightfully a lot of optimism surrounding Tracy, but cleaning up the drops — as a former WR — and not fumbling the football five times will go a long way for the 25-year old. Still, acquiring a 1,000-yard player at Pick 166 is a home run in my book.

Grade: A+
Mid-season Grade: A+

Round 6 (No. 183): Darius Muasau, LB

The injuries to Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden forced Muasau into the lineup. He was, and is, a solid special teams player for Michael Ghobrial, but he’s assumed the MIKE on defense. Since entering the starting lineup in Week 14 against the Saints, Muasau has recorded 33 total tackles. He had double digit tackles against Atlanta in Week 16.

Muasau has 47 total tackles, 23 solo-tackles, and he also recorded the first interception of the season for the Giants in Week 1. That was the only Giants’ interception up until Tre Hawkins II intercepted Derek Carr in Week 14. Muasau also has six STUFFS at the line of scrimmage this season. He’s fine linebacker and special teams’ depth.

Grade: B-
Mid-season Grade: B-

Final thoughts

This is the most positive rookie report card I have ever written for Big Blue View. Three starting skilled position players on offense have proven their worth and developed. Johnson started rough but has shown the development necessary to inspire hope until his injury. Both defensive secondary pieces have demonstrated competency and flashed. Muasau is a special teams player who was selected late.

Overall, this class far outshines Schoen’s previous two draft classes. However, development is not always linear. Each player can continue to improve with experience, but their first year was one of the few bright spots in a lost season. It’s plausible these young players could further develop in a more stable environment.