New York Giants 2024 Position Unit Review: Wide Receivers

The New York Giants receiver corps was a study of success and struggles in 2024.
Success in that Malik Nabers, the team’s first-round draft pick, delivered on expectations–maybe even exceeded them—despite missing a few games with a concussion.
For the first time since Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants had a receiver in their offensive lineup that opposing defensive coordinators needed to gameplan for.
What about the struggles? Look no further than the quarterback's play. How often did the receivers stop to catch a ball or make the reception with their backs to the defense?
Too many. And as we have noted in the past, when a receiver has to stop in his route, even if just for a moment, to catch a ball, that’s usually more than enough time for an opposing defender to close in on him and limit the yards after catch (YAC).
There was also a collective problem with dropped passes–33, which tied the Giants with the Packers and Chargers (the Browns and Jets led the league with 48 and 40, respectively).
While we can agree that Nabers is a keeper and a bonafide game-changer, beyond him, the Giants need much more.
Wan’Dale Robinson is a keeper–he finished as the team lead among the wideouts in missed tackles forced (20) and was second in contested catch rate (58.6%), but he wasn’t someone who struck fear into opposing defenses like one might argue Nabers did.
Darius Slayton was his usual steady self, but as a pending unrestricted free agent, his chances of returning aren’t very promising. Isaiah Hodgins faded from the scene, and Jalin Hyatt’s continued struggles to get on the field are starting to become a concern.
If it wasn’t for Nabers, this unit, you could say, was disappointing and very much a part of the league’s 28th-ranked passing offense.
Nabers is a keeper. So is Robinson. Beyond that, though, the Giants have a glaring need at this position that snuck up on them. This needs to be addressed if this passing game ever becomes what head coach Brian Daboll is likely envisioning.
2024 in Review
Nabers and Robinson make up a solid core for the Giants, but this position has fast become a sneaky need in the draft, from which the Giants are expected to add to the group.
- Rostered Players: Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt (Isaiah Hodgins, practice squad)
- Under Contract: Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt
- No Longer with Team: Isaiah Hodgins
Malik Nabers
The crown jewel of the 2024 Giants draft class, Nabers came as advertised – fast, athletic, polished, smart, tough, and motivated. He set the franchise record for receptions as a rookie (109) despite missing two games with a concussion.
Nabers battled various lower body injuries throughout the second half of the season, but he remained productive and on the field.
Not enough of Nabers’ completions were downfield, which is where Nabers can do some damage with his great body control, ball-attack mentality, and hands. If he’s single-covered, throw him the ball, and he’ll find a way.
He battled some concentration issues, which resulted in nine drops tied for third-most in the league, but he was also second in the league in targets (165), behind Ja’Marr Chase's 171.
This was one very busy young man, and he embraced the workload. If this team can get a solid and consistent quarterback on the field with him, Nabers can probably challenge his own numbers.
The lack of solid quarterback play meant he had to run too many short routes with his back to the defense. This kid is already a refined route runner and needs to run deeper routes. Whoever will be the next Giants quarterback will have a ready-made star waiting for him.
Wan’Dale Robinson
Robinson easily enjoyed his best season as a pro, playing all 17 games and catching 93 balls.
Robinson has been on an upward arc since arriving as a second-round pick three years ago. Like Nabers, all Robinson needs is a legit quarterback to get him the ball downfield.
Most of this kid’s receptions were sit-downs and hitches. He took a lot of punishment, but pound-for-pound Robinson is as tough as they come.
On the negative side, the diminutive Robinson can sometimes be hard to find. He was the wide-open target on the infamous failed flea-flicker that Daniel Jones could not pull off. And yet, Robinson was freed up to run some deep outs later in the year that were easy completions.
Robinson’s 7.5 yards per catch was the lowest in the league among 43 receivers, with a minimum of 85 targets.
Robinson is a precise route runner, but his intermediate route-running skills have been wasted. He’s already a proven chains-mover, but the big plays are lacking. We love his fearlessness, but his wingspan is miniscule.
He needs a creative offensive mind to shake him loose and a quarterback who sees the field, even for a small target like him, to elevate his game.
Darius Slayton
With the arrival of Malik Nabers, Slayton’s production nose-dived from a 50-catch, four-touchdown season in 2023 to just 39 receptions and two scores this year.
Slayton played in 16 of 17 games and was the offense’s best-blocking downfield receiver, but we would never call him a physical receiver. He still fades away from contact and contested balls, rarely coming down with the tough catch.
He still has the legit speed of a deep receiver, but he seems most comfortable with the deep comeback routes. Throwing Slayton a deep ball is to invite frustration.
A pending free agent, we’re not optimistic that Slayton and the Giants will reunite for another two or three years.
He’s a solid third option. Though the offense needs a deep threat, after six years of uninspired production, we suspect the team will want to go in another direction.
Jalin Hyatt
One of the more frustrating young players on this roster, this second-year player took a big step back after a decent rookie season of 23 catches at 16.2 yards per catch, his numbers dropping to eight receptions at 7.8 yards per reception.
So what happened? Malik Nabers happened. Also, Hyatt was thrown around like a ragdoll while attempting to block or shake coverage.
Hyatt’s thin frame doesn’t lend itself to adding muscle or weight, so he’ll have to use his lone asset: speed.
At this point, the organization would only be too glad for Hyatt to become a younger version of Darius Slayton, but the looks were not good this year as Hyatt couldn’t beat out Slayton in training camp.
Hyatt also did not do a good job of tracking deep balls. If he returns with the same body type this summer, we must question if he can physically hold up to a full-time role.
Isaiah Hodgins
Two years ago, Hodgins, who came to the Giants from Buffalo, where he had been exposed to Brian Daboll’s offensive system, stepped into the lineup mid-year and produced 33 catches and four touchdowns in just eight games to help the team reach the playoffs.
In 2023, Hodgins began to see his targets diminish. Despite playing in all 17 games, he only caught 21 balls. Things didn’t improve for him in 2024, as he not only failed to make the team out of camp–he spent most of the year on the practice squad—but in the three games he was on the active roster, he caught just two passes.
What was behind Hodgins’s fall? He is a possession receiver and tough blocker, but he lacks any semblance of the speed it takes to get open on his own.
Even in 2022, his best season with the Giants, Hodgins averaged just 10.9 yards per reception, fifth out of eight receivers on the team that year.
In 2024, despite catching both his pass targets, his 6.0 yards per catch was last among the five Giants receivers. This was despite an average depth of target (ADOT) of 5.5, which was .4 better than Robinson's.
Hodgins was not in the Giants’ plans after that 2022 season, and he has since signed a reserve/futures contract with the 49ers.