Did Giants hit home run with 2024 draft class? It’s early, but returns are promising (Charlotte Carrol – The Athletic)
October 10, 2024
Break down of each rookies impact vs the rest of their draft position group
17 comments
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 is also consistently impressing the coaching staff? Four games into his career, Nabers is living up to all the hype that trailed him during training camp.
Before he missed the Seattle victory, Nabers was one of just three NFL receivers to own a team air yards share of greater than 50 percent through four weeks of the season (51.2 percent), per NFL Pro. That’s a fancy way of saying the Giants passing offense ran 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’s off to a special start to his career.
As far as how he’s faring compared to other rookie receivers, the only one in his stratosphere has been his former LSU teammate, Brian Thomas Jr. The first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 23) has more receiving yards (397) and the same number of touchdowns (three) as Nabers but has played one more game. However, the receiver who was drafted two spots ahead of Nabers, the Arizona Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr., trails him in just about every significant category outside of touchdowns (Harrison has four). That’s not to say Harrison isn’t also a great player, but there’s little doubt about which rookie’s career is off to a better start.
Again, it’s only four games, but Nabers already looks like a franchise-defining receiver and one of the most exciting young players to play in New York in a long time.
S Tyler Nubin, second round, No. 47
PFF grade/rank: 68.8/No. 2
Though “Hard Knocks” revealed the Giants were initially hoping to draft a cornerback with their second-round pick, they have to be pretty happy things fell the way they did. Nubin has made a huge impact; his coaches already have a lot of trust in him.
Nubin has played 99 percent of the defensive snaps as a 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 only 5 of 10 passes thrown in his direction to be completed, with a passer rating allowed of 85.8.
“I think the communication shows up, all the things that we kind of expected out of him, being a leader on the field, taking control, communicating with guys, helping the guy next to him,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said about Nubin recently. “Again, I would go back to just some of the situational awareness in the league. These young guys, they’re kind of learning by fire right now with some of that stuff, but I’ve been pleased with how he’s played, showing up, tackling. He’s played physical for us.”
One of the other notes to keep in mind from “Hard Knocks” was when Schoen highlighted Nubin’s nose for the ball — he had 13 interceptions in college and three forced fumbles.
Schoen said that trait typically translates well to the NFL, and though Nubin hasn’t recorded an interception yet, he forced a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys and recovered one against Seattle.
CB Dru Phillips, third round, No. 70
PFF grade/rank: 78.2/No. 1
That No. 1 rank for Phillips, though encouraging, needs to 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 Sunday in Seattle.
Still, when Phillips has been on the field, he’s been an impact player.
He forced a fumble in Week 1 and was a maniac on the field. He recorded 12 tackles, including two for a loss and one impressive sack of Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels.
“Really was pleased with Dru,” Bowen said after Week 2. “I think his toughness showed up. He was productive. He was involved. The more he plays, I think the better he’s going to get.”
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’s been a tough transition for the rookie; he has missed some key blocks and made some mental mistakes early on.
However, on the pass-catching end of things, he might have turned the corner. After starting his career with three receptions for 37 yards in four games, he tallied five receptions on five targets for 48 yards in Sunday’s win against the Seahawks.
Johnson looks the part of a prototype tight end, so it was encouraging to see him deliver a stronger game Sunday.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., fifth round, No. 166
PFF grade/rank: 62.7/No. 5
With Devin Singletary sidelined, Tracy shined in his first career start 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.
Per NFL Pro, Tracy’s plus-47 rushing yards over expected were the most by any Giants running back in a game since Saquon Barkley in Week 11 last year (plus-48) and the most by any rookie running back this season.
“He was tough,” coach Brian Daboll said Sunday. “I mean, I don’t know if he needs to eat more on the sideline, whatever it is. Get him the ball. You know, he ran hard. He saw the holes. He pressed the hole. Something we have been working hard on with him is pressing the hole and setting up blocks. He made some extra yards with the ball in his hands.”
Daboll hasn’t committed to what Tracy’s role will be once Singletary returns, but it’s a decent bet he will be more involved given how productive he was Sunday.
ILB Darius Muasau, sixth round, No. 183
It’s not worth highlighting Muasau’s defensive grade since he hasn’t seen the field much since Week 1 — he made six tackles filling in for an injured McFadden — but he has been a core special-teamer, playing 45 percent of the special teams snaps.
Fellow inside linebacker Bobby Okereke has played every defensive snap, and McFadden has been healthy since Week 1, so Muasau’s opportunities have been limited. If either misses time with an injury, Muasau could get a chance to prove himself.
DL Elijah Chatman, undrafted
PFF grade/rank: 52.1/No. 7
Chatman emerged as a fun training camp story with a fairy-tale finish, as he landed a roster spot and some early playing time. He has played 32 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps, finding his niche as a complement to superstar Dexter Lawrence on third downs.
“Even though Chat is an undersized guy, he’s powerful and strong, and he’s got the ability to put a dent in the pocket,” defensive line coach Andre Patterson said last week.
Patterson mentioned that on Brian Burns’ strip-sack against the Cleveland Browns, one reason Burns was able to force the fumble was that Chatman knocked the right guard far enough back that Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson couldn’t step up. Instead, Watson had to step back, allowing Burns to knock the ball free. Chatman recovered the fumble, too.
Patterson pointed out that Chatman still has plenty of room to improve but that everything is still in front of him.
That seems to be the case for a lot of Giants rookies.
The only home run that was hit this draft was Nabers. Nubin & Phillips are singles. And Johnson is a sac fly. Not a home run draft class at all. But this is still all too early to judge
The ‘22 & ‘23 drafts were horrendous and short of a deep playoff run Schoen & Brown should be fired
Just to summarize the PFF rank compared to the each player’s draft order for their position:
seems like this and to a certain extent the last draft, have finally got our org on the upward path.
It’s been five games.
I remember Reese’s 2007 draft class being furiously talked up only for it to peter out within a few years.
Remember just 2-3 weeks ago everyone wanted Joe Schoen fired?
OK — this comment only is tangentially related to this post, but here it goes. People talk about draft busts and blame the teams, but very rarely are these first-round busts ever reaches.
Neal is now seen as a draft bust. But going into the draft and the grades after the draft all said this was a great pick. So why are we blaming the Giants? This wasn’t some reach that surprised everyone. This was a solid pick that was nearly universally loved. Nobody gave the Giants shit for this at the time, but now… ugh. So maybe we have to stop blaming GMs and teams so much and just blame the player a lot more.
A dude could get whiplash with how the narrative about Joe Schoen has changed in the span of a few weeks.
Week 2 had people publicly calling for Schoen’s head.
Now we’re praising the most recent draft, praising him finally fixing the O-line, seeing past draft picks start to contribute and finally seeing some fruit from the Brian Burns trade.
I honestly think that it’s really difficult to truly evaluate a GM without 4 years behind their tenure. It takes about that long for there to be enough turnover for the team to be mostly ‘theirs’. It also takes about that long to see draft classes develop and contribute.
We obviously live in a world where instant gratification is highly valued. And firing a GM is a form of instant gratification. However, unless that GM is proving to make consistently onerous mistakes with their drafting or free agent signings, as a franchise you’ll never get anywhere if you are constantly pulling the plug and rebooting.
And that is not to say that I don’t have gripes with some decisions this regime has made. It hasn’t been perfect by a long shot. But, I still believe in the Schoen/Daboll combo and I think the more consistency we have at GM and Coach, the better it is for our future.
Short answer: Yes
Long answer: FUCK YES!
Way too early
Dru Phillips has been stellar. Coming into the season I thought DB was going to be our weakest spot but Dru has been great. Banks finally had a good game too against Seattle. Things are getting better!
17 comments
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 is also consistently impressing the coaching staff? Four games into his career, Nabers is living up to all the hype that trailed him during training camp.
Before he missed the Seattle victory, Nabers was one of just three NFL receivers to own a team air yards share of greater than 50 percent through four weeks of the season (51.2 percent), per NFL Pro. That’s a fancy way of saying the Giants passing offense ran 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’s off to a special start to his career.
As far as how he’s faring compared to other rookie receivers, the only one in his stratosphere has been his former LSU teammate, Brian Thomas Jr. The first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 23) has more receiving yards (397) and the same number of touchdowns (three) as Nabers but has played one more game. However, the receiver who was drafted two spots ahead of Nabers, the Arizona Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr., trails him in just about every significant category outside of touchdowns (Harrison has four). That’s not to say Harrison isn’t also a great player, but there’s little doubt about which rookie’s career is off to a better start.
Again, it’s only four games, but Nabers already looks like a franchise-defining receiver and one of the most exciting young players to play in New York in a long time.
S Tyler Nubin, second round, No. 47
PFF grade/rank: 68.8/No. 2
Though “Hard Knocks” revealed the Giants were initially hoping to draft a cornerback with their second-round pick, they have to be pretty happy things fell the way they did. Nubin has made a huge impact; his coaches already have a lot of trust in him.
Nubin has played 99 percent of the defensive snaps as a 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 only 5 of 10 passes thrown in his direction to be completed, with a passer rating allowed of 85.8.
“I think the communication shows up, all the things that we kind of expected out of him, being a leader on the field, taking control, communicating with guys, helping the guy next to him,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said about Nubin recently. “Again, I would go back to just some of the situational awareness in the league. These young guys, they’re kind of learning by fire right now with some of that stuff, but I’ve been pleased with how he’s played, showing up, tackling. He’s played physical for us.”
One of the other notes to keep in mind from “Hard Knocks” was when Schoen highlighted Nubin’s nose for the ball — he had 13 interceptions in college and three forced fumbles.
Schoen said that trait typically translates well to the NFL, and though Nubin hasn’t recorded an interception yet, he forced a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys and recovered one against Seattle.
CB Dru Phillips, third round, No. 70
PFF grade/rank: 78.2/No. 1
That No. 1 rank for Phillips, though encouraging, needs to 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 Sunday in Seattle.
Still, when Phillips has been on the field, he’s been an impact player.
He forced a fumble in Week 1 and was a maniac on the field. He recorded 12 tackles, including two for a loss and one impressive sack of Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels.
“Really was pleased with Dru,” Bowen said after Week 2. “I think his toughness showed up. He was productive. He was involved. The more he plays, I think the better he’s going to get.”
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’s been a tough transition for the rookie; he has missed some key blocks and made some mental mistakes early on.
However, on the pass-catching end of things, he might have turned the corner. After starting his career with three receptions for 37 yards in four games, he tallied five receptions on five targets for 48 yards in Sunday’s win against the Seahawks.
Johnson looks the part of a prototype tight end, so it was encouraging to see him deliver a stronger game Sunday.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., fifth round, No. 166
PFF grade/rank: 62.7/No. 5
With Devin Singletary sidelined, Tracy shined in his first career start 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.
Per NFL Pro, Tracy’s plus-47 rushing yards over expected were the most by any Giants running back in a game since Saquon Barkley in Week 11 last year (plus-48) and the most by any rookie running back this season.
“He was tough,” coach Brian Daboll said Sunday. “I mean, I don’t know if he needs to eat more on the sideline, whatever it is. Get him the ball. You know, he ran hard. He saw the holes. He pressed the hole. Something we have been working hard on with him is pressing the hole and setting up blocks. He made some extra yards with the ball in his hands.”
Daboll hasn’t committed to what Tracy’s role will be once Singletary returns, but it’s a decent bet he will be more involved given how productive he was Sunday.
ILB Darius Muasau, sixth round, No. 183
It’s not worth highlighting Muasau’s defensive grade since he hasn’t seen the field much since Week 1 — he made six tackles filling in for an injured McFadden — but he has been a core special-teamer, playing 45 percent of the special teams snaps.
Fellow inside linebacker Bobby Okereke has played every defensive snap, and McFadden has been healthy since Week 1, so Muasau’s opportunities have been limited. If either misses time with an injury, Muasau could get a chance to prove himself.
DL Elijah Chatman, undrafted
PFF grade/rank: 52.1/No. 7
Chatman emerged as a fun training camp story with a fairy-tale finish, as he landed a roster spot and some early playing time. He has played 32 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps, finding his niche as a complement to superstar Dexter Lawrence on third downs.
“Even though Chat is an undersized guy, he’s powerful and strong, and he’s got the ability to put a dent in the pocket,” defensive line coach Andre Patterson said last week.
Patterson mentioned that on Brian Burns’ strip-sack against the Cleveland Browns, one reason Burns was able to force the fumble was that Chatman knocked the right guard far enough back that Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson couldn’t step up. Instead, Watson had to step back, allowing Burns to knock the ball free. Chatman recovered the fumble, too.
Patterson pointed out that Chatman still has plenty of room to improve but that everything is still in front of him.
That seems to be the case for a lot of Giants rookies.
The only home run that was hit this draft was Nabers. Nubin & Phillips are singles. And Johnson is a sac fly. Not a home run draft class at all. But this is still all too early to judge
The ‘22 & ‘23 drafts were horrendous and short of a deep playoff run Schoen & Brown should be fired
Just to summarize the PFF rank compared to the each player’s draft order for their position:
1st round, Nabers: drafted 6OA, 2nd/35 WRs, PFF rank: 1st
2nd round, Nubin: drafted 47OA, 1st/20 Safeties, PFF rank: 2nd
3rd round, Phillips: drafted 70OA, 11th/36 CBs, PFF rank: 1st
4th round, Johnson: drafted 107OA, 5th/12 TEs, PFF rank: 8th
5th round, Tracy: drafted 166OA, 14th/20 RBs, PFF rank: 5th
undrafted, Chatman: NA/20 DEs, PFF rank: 7th
seems like this and to a certain extent the last draft, have finally got our org on the upward path.
It’s been five games.
I remember Reese’s 2007 draft class being furiously talked up only for it to peter out within a few years.
Remember just 2-3 weeks ago everyone wanted Joe Schoen fired?
OK — this comment only is tangentially related to this post, but here it goes. People talk about draft busts and blame the teams, but very rarely are these first-round busts ever reaches.
Neal is now seen as a draft bust. But going into the draft and the grades after the draft all said this was a great pick. So why are we blaming the Giants? This wasn’t some reach that surprised everyone. This was a solid pick that was nearly universally loved. Nobody gave the Giants shit for this at the time, but now… ugh. So maybe we have to stop blaming GMs and teams so much and just blame the player a lot more.
A dude could get whiplash with how the narrative about Joe Schoen has changed in the span of a few weeks.
Week 2 had people publicly calling for Schoen’s head.
Now we’re praising the most recent draft, praising him finally fixing the O-line, seeing past draft picks start to contribute and finally seeing some fruit from the Brian Burns trade.
I honestly think that it’s really difficult to truly evaluate a GM without 4 years behind their tenure. It takes about that long for there to be enough turnover for the team to be mostly ‘theirs’. It also takes about that long to see draft classes develop and contribute.
We obviously live in a world where instant gratification is highly valued. And firing a GM is a form of instant gratification. However, unless that GM is proving to make consistently onerous mistakes with their drafting or free agent signings, as a franchise you’ll never get anywhere if you are constantly pulling the plug and rebooting.
And that is not to say that I don’t have gripes with some decisions this regime has made. It hasn’t been perfect by a long shot. But, I still believe in the Schoen/Daboll combo and I think the more consistency we have at GM and Coach, the better it is for our future.
Short answer: Yes
Long answer: FUCK YES!
Way too early
Dru Phillips has been stellar. Coming into the season I thought DB was going to be our weakest spot but Dru has been great. Banks finally had a good game too against Seattle. Things are getting better!