New York Giants 2022 Rookie Report Card

Coach Gene Clemons grades the New York Giants' rookie draft class.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Nov 4, 2022 1:51 PM EDT

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Despite the recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Giants season has unfolded way ahead of what anyone anticipated, and a big part of that has been the contribution the team has gotten from its rookie draft class.

Let's check in and evaluate what the 11-member class has done thus far to contribute to the cause and assess a grade on the performances in the first half of the season.

R1: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux | B+

Thibodeaux started the season injured because of a poorly played cut-block defense. He missed the first two games and was on a snap count in his return to action against the Cowboys.

It is always tricky for defensive linemen, especially edge rushers because the stats don’t always tell the full story. In the last five games, Thibodeaux is logging over 80 percent of the snaps, in which he has one sack and 13 tackles.

However, when you turn on the film, you see that number five flashing near the quarterback often--you see him getting double-teamed, chasing after ball carriers, or swatting down passes. His pressure has resulted in sacks for others or rushed throws, but we know he will ultimately be judged by how many times he gets the quarterback on the ground.

The lack of numbers may have been the downfall of Lorenzo Carter during his te in New York, but much like Carter, Thibodeaux has value beyond just putting the quarterback on the ground. It has been a good start for him, and with him getting a chance to rest his legs during the bye, we could see him playing his best ball of the year.

R1: OL Evan Neal | C

Neal stepped into the starting right tackle job despite not being polished in his technique, some of which was different from what he had done in college and was being taught to him on the fly.

He struggled in camp and the preseason with the speed rush, which followed him into the regular season. Before a knee injury in Week 7, Neal played every snap, and at times, he has looked lost blocking on an island, and other times he has been the guy you expect a top-10 pick to be.

He has also been a brute as a run blocker and is a part of why the running game has returned to form this season. The pass blocking still has a long way to go to match the consistency of what the Giants are getting on the left side from Andrew Thomas, but much like how Thomas had to find his footing, Neal will too.

R2: WR Wan'Dale Robinson | D+

Robinson missed four games with a sprained MCL and has only recently been trying to regain his feet. The expectation was that he would come in and be a moveable chess piece similar to those do-everything receivers we see around the league. That has not yet materialized.

It is early but with so many receivers still out with injuries, Robinson should be playing a more prominent role in this passing offense, and he simply has not since returning. Outside of his Week 6 performance against the Ravens, when he caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, he has not produced any splash plays.

Over the last two games, he has eight catches for 65 yards and no touchdowns while playing in 65 percent of the plays. That’s not explosive. Thus far, he's flashed it in the preseason and against Baltimore, but the Giants need a lot more from him in the second half of the season.

R3: IOL Joshua Ezeudu | C

The hope for Ezeudu, chosen in the third round out of North Carolina, was that he would solidify the left guard position. While those hopes are not dashed, he did not hit the ground running and has primarily been the backup behind Ben Bredeson until Bredeson's injury landed him on injured reserve.

In Week 8, he made his first start of the season, and while Ezudu has shown a natural run-blocking ability, he has been outmatched in pass protection. It is something he will need to improve if he wants to permanently supplant Bredeson for the position. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see if Ezeudu holds onto the starting left guard spot or gets replaced by Nick Gates.

R3: CB Cor'Dale Flott | C

Flott logged 71 percent of the snaps in Week 2 against the Panthers. He played pretty well that day, and it seemed to be a sign that he would see continued growth in his usage, especially with Aaron Robinson recovering from an appendectomy.

Unfortunately, a calf injury has sidelined Flott for much of the season. What Flott did in that short amount of time was show that his length can be disruptive for receivers, but he also showed the normal mistakes that plague most rookie defensive backs. It is a very small sample size, and his grade considers that. At the end of the day, the best ability is availability.

R4: TE Daniel Bellinger | Grade A-

Bellinger has emerged from the 2022 class as one of the best values. Originally looked at as just a blocking tight end, he has shown that he can be a target that the quarterback can rely on in big moments.

He has the highest catch percentage of any player on the team with a minimum of 10 receptions, and he is averaging just shy of a first down every time he hauls a pass in.

He also has done the job as a run blocker, a skill that his predecessor (Evan Engram) never really developed. Bellinger is currently sidelined with an eye injury, but he's expected back later this year. His presence was missed last week as the offense struggled to effectively run or pass the ball.

R4: S Dane Belton | Grade: B

Dane Belton was on his way toward having a solid camp and preseason until a broken collarbone interrupted his development. Thankfully, he healed quickly and was ready to go by the start of the regular season. So far, he has fit in perfectly with a defense predicated on playing a lot of nickel and dime packages.

Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has deployed Belton whenever and wherever he has been needed on the defense. This is reflected in the rookie's snaps per game, where he's played as much as 76 percent of the total snaps.

Belton has proven to be a solid tackler in space with enough thump to operate in the box.

R5: ILB Micah McFadden | C

McFadden had a great camp and was one of the reasons the Giants felt comfortable letting go of veteran inside linebacker Blake Martinez.

Throughout the season, however, McFadden has found it difficult to create a consistent role in the defense. That is partly due to the multiple personnel groupings that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale likes to use and partly to McFadden’s pass coverage effectiveness.

In college, he was used as a Blitzer a lot which is why it is not surprising that he recorded a sack in his first start of the season last week. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was able to hit underneath passes all day, and that is where McFadden should be roaming.

Dallas and Chicago could do similar things while running the ball effectively. In both of those games, he received over 43 percent of the snaps at linebacker.

R5: IDL D.J. Davidson | C

Before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 5, Davidson had done the job asked of him but has not made the kind of impression that forces coaches to increase his playing time.

He is one of the few defensive linemen that does not have value in multiple areas--he's a one-gap plugged with upside to be an interior two-gapper.

R5: OL Marcus McKethan | Incomplete

McKethan suffered a torn ACL in training camp and is on season-ending injured reserve.

R6: ILB Darrian Beavers | Incomplete

Beavers was well on his way to being the surprise of the rookie class. He had a solid showing in training camp and seemed to have locked up a starting job, perhaps at the expense of Tae Crowder. Unfortunately, a torn ACL brought his rookie season to a premature end.

UDFA OLB Tomon Fox | A+

The former North Carolina Tar Heel broke Giants Hall of Fame and legendary linebacker Lawrence Taylor’s sack record while at Chapel Hill and continued his under-the-radar strong play with the Giants when he delivered a big-time hit against the Bengals during the preseason.

Fox has recorded a good percentage of snaps for a player nobody expected anything from going into the season. The undrafted free agent recorded a sack in the first game of the season against the Titans (the only sack of the day) and has been active, a spot-duty guy on the edge, and a regular on special teams.

With all the injuries to edge rushers this season, Fox has proved himself worthy of his roster spot and possibly worked himself into a multi-year NFL career as he continues to earn increased reps weekly.

Final Thoughts

The bye week gives this team a chance to hopefully get healthier and clean up some issues that they have identified as critical. It also gives these rookies a chance to hit the reset button.

For many rookies, eight weeks is about when they'd be winding down their respective seasons if still in college. In the NFL, the action is just getting started, especially with the Giants in a position to make the playoffs.

With the trade deadline having passed and no acquisitions made by general manager Joe Schoen, the Giants intend to roll with what they have, including the rookies, who will be called on to elevate their game to another level.