Which young New York Giants defenders should you watch in the season finale?

The final game of the 2024-2025 season is finally here. The New York Giants will make the short trip play the Philadelphia Eagles on the road on sunday.

The Giants have been mathematically eliminated from the post season for weeks now, while the Eagles are locked into second place in the NFC.

The Giants have struggled with injuries throughout the second half. That’s obviously played a role in the season going sideways, but it’s also served as an extended preseason for depth players to get valuable reps.

The Eagles will rest Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts has yet to clear the concussion protocol. They seem committed to being as healthy as possible for the post season and could rest many of their starters. Ordinarily we’d be taking a look at the opposing players and scheme, as well as how the Giants match up.

But with so many questions regarding who will even play for the Eagles, it makes more sense to look at the Giants’ players getting opportunities.

It’s a common belief that the Giants’ roster is riddled with holes. But what if this lost season has provided valuable experience for young players who could grow to fill those holes? Let’s take a look at some defenders who bear watching heading into 2025.

Jordon Riley

Riley took over for Dexter Lawrence as the Giants’ nose tackle after the All-Pro’s season-ending injury. He hasn’t been spectacular in the middle of the Giants’ defense, but has been among the young players stepping up and playing hard in Lawrence’s absence.

The 245th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has great play strength and makes his living occupying blockers to allow his teammates to make plays. The Giants’ run defense has improved dramatically over the last several weeks, and they have only allowed opposing running backs to break 100 yards twice in the last five games. And even then, most of that yardage came on individual long runs.

Riley could be a viable rotational option next year, and earn a spot beside him in short-yardage situations.

Elijah Chatman

Chatman was the star of the 2024 training camp as an unheralded UDFA. He’s an undersized tackle but his explosive athleticism has made him a headache for opposing linemen. Chatman has often lined up next to Riley as a B-gap defender or lining up over tackles as a 4i or 5-technique. He’s been a consistent presence in opposing backfields, and while he doesn’t have the size or power to overpower blockers, he can shoot gaps to disrupt behind the line of scrimmage.

Chatman made a splash in the preseason, but faded early on in 2024. He’s since rebounded with more opportunity and reps in Lawrence’s absence, as well as with more work with Coach Patterson.

Even the duo of Riley and Chatman can’t really replace Dexter Lawrence, but they’re worth watching to see if they’re primed for a larger role in 2025.

Darius Muasau

As of this writing, we don’t know if Micah McFadden will return from from his neck injury this week. If so, he’s definitely worth watching and the Giants should probably be in negotiations for a contract extension.

But while McFadden has been trending upward since last year, Muasau has been a very pleasant surprise.

The Giants’ sixth round pick became a starter after starting linebacker Bobby Okereke was lost for the year and took over as the MIKE when McFadden was injured. Muasau is undersized and a relatively limited athlete with average-at-best speed and agility. However, he’s instinctive and plays with a high motor, which has allowed him to be a viable starter while the Giants have dealt with injuries. He will most likely be a rotational defender and special teams player when the defense gets healthy next year, but he could also carve out a role on base packages.

At the very least, Muasau has established that he’s the kind of depth a team can feel good about.

Cor’Dale Flott

Outside cornerback is widely considered a hole for the Giants, but it’s possible that Flott could be an option across from Deonte Banks. The Giants’ 2022 third-round pick did not play well as a slot corner in 2023, which is where he started the 2024 season. Flott lost that job to Dru Phillips, but emerged as an outside corner as the team has dealt with injuries and searched for answers.

Flott is a long but thin corner at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, which can work against him when covering bigger receicers. That said, he has good movement skills and has tackled well in space. So while he might allow catches, he doesn’t give up many yards after the catch.

Notably, Flott’s play has taken a step forward as Shane Bowen has called a more aggressive defense in the second half of the season. It remains to be seen whether Bowen will be one-and-done as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, but it would be a boon if Flott could continue to develop on the outside.

Dane Belton

Finally we come to the back end of the Giants’ defense. Belton has been something of a forgotten man at the safety position. He played just over a quarter of the Giants’ defensive snaps last year, and only saw double-digit snaps in four of the Giants’ first 12 games. Then Tyler Nubin was placed on the injured reserve and Belton’s snaps skyrocketed.

He got off to a rough start in his first real extended action this year, but has since found his footing. Belton has good size and is an athletic safety, though he’s more of a linear athlete and doesn’t have the hip fluidity to match up in coverage against most receivers. On the other hand, he’s also a very instinctive defender and has a knack for generating turnovers. He’s also an effective blitzing safety as well as a good run defender. Belton times his downhill play well and does a great job of attacking gaps to defend the run or penetrate into the backfield.

Jason Pinnock will be a free agent in 2025, which could make safety a need. And while Pinnock might not be particularly expensive to bring back, the Giants may view a duo of Nubin and Belton as their future.