There's no doubt that a major reason Joe Schoen was retained as the general manager of the New York Giants was the production of the 2024 draft class.
Giants co-owner John Mara confirmed as much when asked about signs of improvement for a team that finished 3-14.
"In Joe's case, I think the draft class we had was really productive," Mara said. "I think all six of those guys are going to help us a great deal."
While Schoen's previous two draft classes haven't fared nearly as well, it's true the six members of this year's class, along with an undrafted free agent, made significant contributions. All but one of the draftees played more than 50% of the snaps on their respective side of the ball. The star of the class was, predictably, wide receiver Malik Nabers, the No. 6 pick who shattered records and looks like a superstar-in-the-making.
"I'm happy with the core foundation we were able to acquire through last year's draft," Schoen said. "I think those guys will be key pieces moving forward."
Before completely turning the page to the 2025 NFL Draft, we wanted to do one final examination of the 2024 class. Along with learning exactly why Schoen and Mara were so encouraged, this exercise should help crystalize what the Giants needs this offseason are and maybe even give us a hint or two about the type of prospects the Giants will look to add in the upcoming draft.
As part of the evaluation, we used some Pro Football Focus player grades and position ranks (among fellow qualified rookies at their respective positions) to provide a gauge for how each player fared. It's worth noting, however, that the grades, while helpful, should still be seen as subjective.
PFF grade/rank: 86.7 /No. 1 out of 15 (35-target minimum)
Schoen said he has no regrets about not taking a quarterback in last year's draft, and despite all the QB troubles this team has endured, it's understandable why he'd say that after watching Nabers' outstanding rookie campaign. Nabers is a big selling point for why any quarterback might now want to play for the Giants.
The star prospect out of LSU started generating buzz through spring ball and then carried that through training camp with each acrobatic grab he made look easy. He then proceeded to spend the season breaking Giants records.
Nabers set the franchise's single-season receptions (109) record previously set by Steve Smith (107) in 2009. Those 109 receptions are also the most by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history. He's No. 2 among all rookie pass-catchers, as Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers bested him by three receptions this season. It's worth noting, however, that Bowers played in two more games than Nabers, who missed time with a concussion.
Nabers finished the season with a team-leading 1,204 receiving yards, No. 7 in the NFL this year. That total is the second-most by a Giants rookie -- Odell Beckham Jr. tallied 1,305 during his 2024 rookie season. Nabers also added seven receiving touchdowns in 15 games.
The only real flaw in Nabers' game was the number of drops -- 10, second most in the league. They occasionally came in big moments, including in his second career game at Washington as the Giants were driving late to win. He also averaged just 4.2 yards after the catch -- ranked 56th in NFL among WR/TEs with at least 30 catches. While he was expected to add a more explosive element to New York's offense, that number also highlights the Giants' inability to get him the ball in space.
"It's just a combination of either catching those balls downfield, which he's had a pretty good production downfield," offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said in late December. "But it's also the catch-and-runs. Hitting him in stride and putting him in the right spot where he can make plays after the catch, breaking tackles. It's a lot of things. Whether it's protection, whether it's the throw, whether it's the route depth, all those things affect that portion of it. So, it's hard to pinpoint one thing because football is so flexible."
Those two missed games hampered Nabers' statistical dominance among his his fellow rookie receivers. Jacksonville Jaguars' first-round pick and Nabers' former LSU teammate Brian Thomas Jr. finished with more receiving yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10). However, the receiver who was drafted two spots ahead of Nabers, Arizona Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr., finished with 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games.
"I'm very proud of the things I've done this season," Nabers said. "Could've been a lot more. A lot of plays I missed out there. But I think I did a pretty good job this year."
Nabers, like all of the Giants' offensive skill players, dealt with quarterback struggles and a revolving door at the position. It's fair to expect an even better sophomore season from Nabers, assuming health, if the Giants improve at QB this offseason.
PFF grade/rank: 65.6 /No. 6 out of 12 (250-snap min.)
Nubin's season was cut short after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 14. Despite the premature ending, Nubin displayed plenty of promise as the team's starting safety opposite veteran Jason Pinnock. Nubin played 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps in all but one game before Week 14.
Nubin's reliability translated to tackles. He was the Giants' second-leading tackler, behind only inside linebacker Micah McFadden (107), with 98 combined tackles in 13 games. According to PFF, he was the second-best rookie safety in run defense.
What didn't translate to the pros in his first season was his ball-hawking skills. The Minnesota product tallied 13 interceptions in college and forced three fumbles. But Nubin finished his rookie season without many impact plays on his ledger. He failed to tally an interception and was credited with one pass defended, while forcing only one fumble and making one fumble recovery.
"He's been down in the box. He's been down around the ball a little bit more than truly just back in the post where he can track and (ball-hawk)," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said shortly before Nubin's season-ending injury. "That might contribute a little bit to it. ... I think as guys get more comfortable playing and you get a little bit more mature and have more experience, the instincts grow."
In terms of coverage metrics, Pro Football Reference said quarterbacks tallied a 91.7 passer rating when targeting Nubin, completing 26-of-40 passes for 340 yards. The lack of interceptions hurt Nubin's passer rating against. For reference, according to PFR, ex-Giants safety Xavier McKinney allowed quarterbacks to complete 36-of-49 passes for 564 yards while in Green Bay this season. But McKinney's eight interceptions lowered his passer rating against to 78.5.
With Pinnock a looming free agent, Nubin looks like he'll be the new go-to guy on the backend and has shown enough promise to be considered a building block for the defense.
PFF grade/rank: 77.5/No. 2 out of 21 (250-snap min.)
Phillips showed almost immediately that he could be an impact player when on the field, forcing a fumble in his first career game. He tallied a sack of Commanders QB Jayden Daniels in Week 2 before a calf injury forced him out of Week 3 early and sidelined him the following game. Phillips played 56 percent of the season's defensive snaps, and from Week 6 onward, the nickel cornerback played 68 percent of the snaps. Phillips later missed two games in early December with a shoulder injury.
Even with the missed time, Phillips tallied 71 combined tackles, tied for fifth-most on the team. He finished with one sack, seven tackles for loss, one pass defended, one interception and two forced fumbles. Opposing QBs completed 36-of-48 passes (335 yards and one touchdown) when targeting Phillips and tallied a passer rating of 91.9.
That PFF ranking listed above is out of all eligible rookie cornerbacks, but Phillips would still rank second behind just Philadelphia Eagles' Cooper DeJean among players who primarily played nickels. For comparison, DeJean tallied 51 combined tackles -- three of those for loss -- along with three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. QBs completed 45-of-68 passes (374 yards and no touchdowns) when targeting DeJean and tallied a passer rating against of 80.1.
While the Giants outside corner position will need some bolstering, their future at nickel seems far more certain with Phillips in tow.
PFF grade/rank: 53.6/No. 5 out of 9 (100 blocking snap min.)
The 6-foot-6, 264-pound Johnson was drafted to be the future of the position, as the Giants still weren't sure if Darren Waller would retire or not. Of course, Waller did end up choosing retirement, and Johnson quickly became New York's starting tight end.
While he finished strong (before his season-ending foot injury in Week 13), it was a predictably tough start for the Penn St. product. Despite running a season-high 37 routes in Week 1 to go with four targets, Johnson made just three receptions in his first four games. He experienced some growing pains in the blocking game, too, and will continue to be a work in progress in that regard.
But Johnson seemed to find his footing in Week 5, hauling in five passes for 48 yards. From that point forward, Johnson made at least three receptions in every game he appeared in except one, finishing the year with 29 catches for 331 yards and a touchdown as he played in more that 60% of the team's offensive snaps.
Johnson was coming off the best game of his career when he suffered his season-ending injury. In that Dallas game, Johnson tied his season-high with five catches for a season-high 54 receiving yards.
"Theo had a really good rookie season," Schoen said. "Really came on, really improved, really excited about him."
PFF grade/rank: 58.4/No. 6 out of 10 (50-rush min.)
Tracy became a fifth-round gem. Initially playing behind free agent signing Devin Singletary, Tracy picked up his first career start in Week 5 with Singletary out injured. He took advantage of the opportunity -- 129 yards on 18 carries -- and never looked back, becoming the Giants' featured back the rest of the season. Tracy started all but one of the remaining games and played 58 percent of the Giants' offensive snaps of the season. He finished with a team-leading 839 rushing yards on 192 carries with five rushing touchdowns. In comparison to other rookie running backs, Tracy finished second only to Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving (1,122 rushing yards), though Tracy's success rate (30.7 percent vs. Irving's 43 percent) left something to be desired.
However, Tracy is a good bet to improve on his down-to-down consistency, given that he's only recently switched to running back from wide receiver -- he tallied just 146 carries in college. The more experience he gains in the backfield, the more proficient he should become. Meanwhile, the Giants can continue to take advantage of his receiving skills, something they did fairly well last season (38 receptions for 284 yards).
"He had that skill set coming out of college, which is why we loved him coming out," Kafka said. "You can continue to develop that. There's still portions of his game that we can develop."
For as good as Tracy was, ball security will be a big point of emphasis this offseason. Tracy finished with five total fumbles, tied for third-most among all running backs.
Still, Giants fans have a reason to be excited about the future of the offense with Nabers and Tracy playing big roles. The pair combined for a Giants rookie record of 2,329 scrimmage yards. They're just the third set of NFL rookie teammates to each tally 1,000 scrimmage yards in the same season. Nabers and Tracy join New Orleans' Reggie Bush and Marques Colston (2006) and the Dallas Texans' Abner Haynes and Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Robinson (1960). Both tandems went on to win championships together later in their careers, with the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV and the Texans winning a 1962 AFL Championship.
PFF grade/rank: 56.8/No. 5 out of 7 (250-snap min.)
Muasau got his first defensive snaps along with his first career interception in Week 1 filling in for an injured Micah McFadden. He worked as a core special-teamer in the meantime (he played 56 percent of the special teams snaps this season). That's until injuries to McFadden and Bobby Okereke forced him into the lineup again.
Over the final five games, he played at least 77 percent of the defensive snaps in each game. Over that span, he tallied 41 total tackles -- two for loss -- along with three pressures and one QB hit.
"I think he's playing fast," Bowen said in late December. "He's physical, he's got some instincts. "So, he's done a good job with the opportunities he's had.
Perhaps Mausau can continue to develop into a reliable defender. At this point, though, it seems like the Giants will continue to count on him as a core special teamer and solid depth behind their starters at linebacker.
PFF grade/rank: 58.9/No. 4 out of 12 (250-snap min.)
What started as a fun training camp story ended as much more than that. The SMU product secured one of the final spots on the Giants' 53-man roster and proved himself to be a viable depth option -- particularly on passing downs -- on the interior behind Dexter Lawrence and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, playing 39% of the defensive snaps (402 total) this season.
Chatman finished the season with one sack, 19 pressures (ninth-most among all rookies), three quarterback hits and 16 hurries (seventh-most) while playing 248 pass rush snaps, according to TruMedia. Compare that to what Washington got from second-round defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton -- two sacks, 18 pressures, seven QB hits and 11 hurries in 243 pass rush snaps -- and the Giants should rightly be encouraged in what they found in Chatman after the draft.
Of course, Chatman has plenty of room to grow, particularly defending the run. Given his small size for the position, 6-foot, 278 pounds, he may always be limited there. If that's the case, it means he'll likely be a rotational player who can make an impact on passing downs, and there's still plenty of value in that.
Jake Kubas played in Weeks 14 and 15 and then started the final three games of the season as injuries piled up on the line. In those three starts, Kubas played both guard spots and allowed no sacks, five pressures, four hurries and one QB hit. Unfortunately, his standout moments of the season came in Week 14 when he committed an unnecessary roughness penalty to nullify a Giants field goal and then was leapt over on a blocked tying field goal attempt in the final seconds of a 14-11 loss to the Saints.
While practice squad kicker Jude McAtamney was expected to spend a season developing on the practice squad as the Giants' international exemption, he was elevated in Week 9 due to injuries. In that game, McAtamney made a 31-yard field goal and one extra point attempt. Neither Kubas nor McAtamney will likely be counted on to be contributors going into next season, but the early experience they gained this season should help their development going forward.