Giants Country

New York Giants 2024 Draft Class Recognized Among League's Best

The Giants' latest rookie group was a bright spot that outperformed many outside expectations in a lost season for the franchise. 

Stephen Lebitsch

Giants Class of 2024
Giants Class of 2024 / New York Football Giants
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The New York Giants might have another miserable season marred by injuries and other faults, but the one element that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll can point to is the impressive emergence of their 2024 rookie class.

Despite Schoen having what were eventually deemed some questionable prospect decisions in his first couple of drafts, it was hard to debate that the core he assembled this past season was the apple of his eye. 

With only six picks to beef up several important positions on the roster, the Giants were able to land talented, under-the-radar players who, for the most part, became instant and, in some cases, team-leading contributors and provided solace to otherwise dismal efforts on both sides of the football. 

The sum of their parts didn’t lend the Giants a pretty record or a spot in the postseason, but it did help them supplant nearly the entire league regarding post-draft bragging rights. 

As far as Pro Football Focus is concerned, there is hope in East Rutherford with the latest crew of Giants, who were ranked fourth best among rookie classes for the 2024 season. 

“Not much went right for the Giants in 2024, but they can take solace in the fact that their rookie class could be part of their foundation moving forward,” the outlet’s Dalton Wasserman wrote in his analysis. 

“Malik Nabers is an ascending superstar after finishing his rookie season with more than 1,200 yards and an 87.1 PFF receiving grade, and fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy was the team’s leading rusher this season and forced 47 missed tackles combined as a runner and receiver.”  

The Giants' ranking was the best among non-playoff teams, with the closest one being the Las Vegas Raiders, who competed with them for positioning on the upcoming draft board and landed in the sixth spot. 

The only teams that eclipsed New York in the special category were the Los Angeles Rams, Washington Commanders, and Los Angeles Chargers, who were all playoff-appearing franchises whose novices helped them get farther than the Giants were able to with a 3-14 record. 

It should come as no surprise that Nabers and Tracy were featured first for the Giants’ flashy bunch, as they were really the engines that pushed the team’s offensive production forward from the complete doldrums of the NFL. 

Along with 1,204 receiving yards that led the team this season, Nabers also revealed how the Giants might finally have the next semblance of an All-Pro pass catcher again, notching a franchise record 109 receptions with 16 turning into plays of 20+ yards and seven of them going for touchdowns. 

Nabers was also instrumental in helping the quarterback carousel maintain some form of confidence in throwing the ball and keeping the huddle from becoming completely one-dimensional when his teammates couldn’t connect with the ball. 

He averaged a team-leading 80.3 yards per game, and with Tracy in the backfield, who dominated the ground game with 839 yards and five scores after being selected in the fifth round, he went into greater blue lore by becoming the next Giants duo to secure 1,000+ yards from scrimmage since the 2006 season. 

However, the full picture of the Giants’ rookie class’s impact couldn’t come without the efforts of the young defenders who were willing to step in and make big plays in their positions. 

Even though injuries were a factor, four helped create memorable plays and performances that landed in the top half of the defensive leaderboard. 

Elijah Chatman, who finished as the fifth-highest-ranked rookie per PFF with a 58.9 grade, became an early fan favorite in the preseason. 

His effort and determination to make game-saving tackles, like the one he made from 40 yards out in the Giants’ preseason dance with the Texans, didn’t go unnoticed. They earned him a spot on the roster, and he earned valuable reps late in the year amid injuries to the defensive front.

While the Giants created a lot of damage from the first line of defense at both ends of the dismal campaign, the most admirable numbers among the rookies came from the two cornerstones they’ll now have in the secondary. 

Slot corner and third-round choice Dru Phillips was arguably the headliner of the deep field, particularly with his work on the inside, where he locked down many of the league’s top threats. 

The 23-year-old Kentucky alum finished with a 75.8 coverage grade in 14 games and held top-10 rankings in assisted tackles, forced fumbles, stops (31 total), and sacks among the cornerback competition. 

Free safety Tyler Nubin was also special regarding his high-volume tackling output. For several weeks, he led the Giants in total stops, including six contests with nine or more tackles, and for a guy who had his struggles in zone coverage, he was sharper in the underneath man schemes that helped him build a 98 tackles resume by the end of the season.

On both sides, there is a lot more that needs to be improved before these players can grow closer to elite status among the best recent draft classes. Nabers held one of the highest drop totals among receivers, Tracy had his fumbling woes, and the defense always had space to clean up tackling and force some turnovers that were few and far between. 

Still, there is no doubt that Schoen earned his one rare personnel win with the names he tallied last April. A couple have All-Pro potential if they can stay on the field next season and offer long-term solutions to positions that have long been black holes on the roster with the help of some more veterans along the way.

It most likely was one of the select reasons why he and Daboll’s jobs were spared in a market that’s been growing tired of their losing ways after making the postseason in the first year in the helm, and earning a recognition like this one gives further credence to one of the legit steps of progress that the duo are trying to show to the Giants faithful during a rough patch in the franchise history.

The Giants could build more belief by stacking another solid group of rookies in the 2025 draft this April, but everyone knows the final evaluation will take more than a few eager-eyed prospects to keep the regime in place for seasons to come.

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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