New York Giants Rookie Progress Report: What Can We Expect from the Class of 2024?

What are the expectations for the Giants' Class of 2024?

New York Giants 2024 draft class / New York Football Giants

The New York Giants haven’t exactly been dynamos when it comes to drafting lately, but there is a lot of optimism among the organization that general manager Joe Schoen’s third draft class could be his best yet.

Of course, we won’t know if that’s true until the class is three years into the league, though we can get a preliminary idea about it after the 2024 season begins. 

But let’s examine each rookie’s progress report based on his spring performance and projected role in the coming season.

First Round: WR Malik Nabers

Nabers has not only come as advertised with his blazing speed and ability to get open, but he’s also quickly won over his coaches and teammates for keeping his head down and nose to the grindstone as he prepares for his first NFL season.

“He can be a tremendous weapon for us,” said quarterback Daniel Jones. “He can do everything–there isn’t much he can’t do from a route-running standpoint. He is dynamic with the ball in his hands and strong, fast, explosive, catches the ball well–yeah, he does a lot well.”

East Rutherford, NJ -- June 11, 2024 -- Wide receiver Malik Nabers at the NY Giants Mandatory Minicamp at their practice facility in East Rutherford, NJ. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

Jones didn’t get a chance to throw to Nabers during the spring since he was held out of the team drills while recovering from a torn ACL. Still, given what the rookie showed, no one would blame Jones if he’s drooling over finally having a legitimate No. 1 receiver to throw to. 

“I think he’s had a really good spring. He looked good out there and made a lot of plays,” Jones said. “It takes time to make it work and get the timing down, and we’ll put that in.”

They’ve already started, as Nabers was one of several Giants to join Jones in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area for Jones’s annual passing camp, which he holds for his teammates. 

Realistic Scenario: Day 1 starter, potential 1,000-yard receiver (would be first since Odell Beckham Jr in 2018)

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Second Round: SAF Tyler Nubin

The Giants feel pretty good about landing arguably one of, if not the top, safeties in this year’s draft class. But that doesn’t mean Nubin, the team’s second-round draft pick, is automatically penciled in to replace Xavier McKinney in the starting lineup.

Third-year man Dane Belton, who finished last year having flashed on more than one occasion, appears to be penciled in as a starter in the base defense. But the Giants hope and expect Nubin to make it a competition.

“He’s got to get better every day,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said when asked what Nubin has to do to get more prominent snaps than he did in the spring. 

“My expectation for them: be better than you were yesterday. When the opportunities come, make the plays. They're going to earn their role. It ain't on us. 

“We're going to coach the hell out of them and give them every opportunity they can imagine. We're going to try to get them in the best spots that fit their skill sets. When the time comes, they must make the plays and show they deserve more.” 

Realistic Scenario: Nubin will eventually be a starter but might not get many snaps out of the gate if the Giants plan to use Isaiah Simmons as a big nickel.  

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Third Round: CB Andru Phillips

Phillips was the Giants' surprise pick. Many thought the team might draft an outside cornerback rather than another nickel. Still, in drafting Andru Phillips out of Kentucky, the Giants will start him at nickel to eventually play him some snaps on the outside.

Phillips is fine with that plan and, in fact, is looking forward to playing in the nickel.

“You know, (there’s) so much going on at that nickel. I like being in control a lot of times,” he told reporters earlier this spring. 

“You get to communicate more. You're involved in the run game as well as the pass game. A lot of times, on certain down distances, you know that ball is coming to you. I’m just trying to make as many plays as possible.”

Sep 30, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Andru Phillips (23) celebrates an incomplete pass intended for Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) during the second quarter at Kroger Field. / Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

At this level, Phillips can likely expect to have a lot put on his plate, something he's used to from his college days.

“They put a lot on our plate at Kentucky,” Phillips told Giants On SI earlier this spring. The staff trusted us to execute the defense at a high level. Every defense has a weakness to it. For example, Cover 4 has holes in the low and outside. In Cover 3, you’re going to give up the seams.

“I thought the staff put us in great positions to be successful. You can’t call a perfect defense every time. That’s just the nature of the beast. I thought we had an awesome defense at Kentucky. I enjoyed playing in that scheme. They set me up for the next level.”

Realistic Scenario: Phillips will be part of the slot cornerback rotation.

Fourth Round: TE Theo Johnson

Johnson leads a rather impressive group of Giants' Day 3 draft picks, poised to significantly contribute to their rookie campaign.

Johnson, who stands 6-6 and weighs 260 pounds, wasn’t much of a pass catcher at Penn State, but that wasn’t necessarily due to a lack of skill so much as it was to how the Nittany Lions offense was called.

So when Johnson stepped onto the Giants practice field this spring, he showed glimpses of being a solid pass-catcher who used his big body to block out the ball from defenders and to leave one thinking that he might end up pushing at some point this season for the lion’s share of the pass targets to the tight end position.

However, Johnson is still a developing rookie who is being asked to learn multiple spots within different personnel groups.

It’s always a challenge when you’re learning multiple spots, whether young or new. That’s the job requirement nowadays,” said head coach Brian Daboll.

“We certainly ask our guys to do a fair amount in learning our system, playing multiple positions, and one time you’re the F, one time you’re the Z, one time you could be the X, one time you could be the Y.”

The good news is that Johnson, through his work with Giants assistant coach Angela Baker, is quickly picking up the nuances of the different roles. 

“He’s working at it. He’s a smart kid,” Daboll said.

Johnson will continue to get opportunities to work his way up the depth chart this year, but he has a bright outlook ahead.

Realistic Scenario: Johnson will more than likely be TE2 to start the season, but don’t be stunned if he sees an increase in his game reps.

Fifth Round: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Much has been made about what the Giants lost when running back Saquon Barkley walked out the door. While there is only one Saquon, the Giants brass feels confident enough in Tyrone Tracy Jr, a converted wide receiver turned running back who could give the Giants that dual-threat option out of the backfield that Barkley offered.

The Giants didn’t do much in terms of running plays during the spring, but when they did, Tracy got some reps with the first team. The true test of how ready he is to step into the offense as the potential RB2 will come when the pads go on this summer.

Tracy believes in his abilities and is committed to making an impact.

“At running back, I’m a fast running back, a big running back (6-1, 210). I’m a running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield,” he said.

“When you look at how God placed every single thing and allowed my situation to kind of align up, switching to running back from receiver was the missing piece to the puzzle.”

Nov 25, 2023; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (3) celebrates after the game at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to offense, Tracy has the potential to contribute as a kickoff returner, something he worked on during the spring. 

In college, he averaged 25.2 yards per return and had one touchdown on 17 kickoff returns, enough to have special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, who views the new kickoff return rule similar to that of a running play, intrigued.

“The NFL has taken the speed and space out of it, and there is just less space to get as creative with your blocking schemes as you would think,” Ghobrial said.

“Because as things sit right now, especially with teams that will have good get-offs on both sides, the biggest thing is, yes, there is an element that may look like some more offensive run game.”

But I've always coached our guys on it as the first offensive play of the series, and it's our job as the kickoff return unit to put our offense in the best position to succeed.” 

Realistic Scenario: Tracy could emerge as the RB2, given his versatility as a runner and a receiver. Also, watch for Tracy as a potential kickoff return specialist.

Sixth Round: ILB Darius Muasau

Muasau is a promising young linebacker who saw snaps with the second and third-team units during the spring. Unfortunately, the numbers in front of him don’t favor his chance for a roster spot, including flashing on special teams, which would probably be his ticket to a spot on the 53-man roster.

He has Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden, Isaiah Simmons, and Darian Beavers in front of him on defense. On special teams, he has Beavers, Carter Coughlin, and Matthew Adams among those ahead of him on the unofficial depth chart.

“I just want to find a way to contribute to the team in any way possible,” he said last month at the rookie minicamp. “If it is special teams, then so be it. That's the way I'll contribute.”

With Carter Coughlin, Darian Beavers, and Matthew Adams in front of him for a potential special teams role, Muasau’s best chance of helping the Giants as a rookie will likely be on the practice squad, where there is certainly no shame in being.

There, he can fine-tune his skillset by playing on the scout team defense, which would not only meet his objective of helping the team in any way possible but would also benefit him from playing a variety of different looks.

Realistic Scenario: Muasau will probably land on the practice squad to start the season where, if he continues his development, he could land up on the 53-man roster toward the end of the season. 

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