New York Giants Rookie Report Through Week 5

The New York Giants used the 2025 NFL Draft to add legitimate impact players on both sides of the ball early on and late picks to fill in-depth roles.

Leading up to the Draft, much discussion was made of what the Giants would end up doing with the third overall pick.

While trading out was an option discussed plenty, whether that was up or down, the Giants ultimately ended up making the pick of Abdul Carter out of Penn State.

OLB Abdul Carter

New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51)l is shown during pregame practice, Thursday, August 21, 2025, in East Rutherford. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It feels wrong to classify Carter as an outside linebacker or edge defender because he’s been much more than that for the Giants already.

Carter has played primarily on the edge, but against the Chiefs was almost exclusively used as an off-ball linebacker that could spy Mahomes or try to create pressure on the interior.

The selection of Carter has been impressive so far; he’s had ups and downs, but far more ups than downs at this point, and had a truly dominant performance against the Chargers in week three.

Missed tackles due to overpursuing have been an issue for him early on. It’s nothing to sound the alarm about yet, but it’s still an area that needs improvement.

Carter currently has 22 pressures on the year, the most of any rookie in the NFL and 11 more than James Pearce and Mykel Williams in second place.

QB Jaxson Dart

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) runs the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter at Caesars Superdome. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

When the Giants traded up to draft Jaxson Dart at the end of the first round this year, the hope was that he wouldn’t need to contribute much until 2026 and could ease into the NFL.

While that was the hope, the expectation was that at some point after things started going downhill, Dart would be thrown into the mix.

That came in week four against the 4-0 Chargers.

Dart looked solid in that matchup, pulling off the upset against the then-undefeated Chargers defense that was wrecking quarterbacks.

Using his legs was a key point for Dart to attack the defense, as the offense had to grit and grind its way to success.

In his second career start against the Saints, things didn’t go as well as Dart had a costly fumble, despite not being touched, and then threw two interceptions, although I don’t fault him as much for those.

It’s going to be a tumultuous time for Dart, considering his supporting cast (or lack thereof), but he’s shown the traits so far that NFL teams look to build around.

IDL Darius Alexander

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander (91) hits New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) as he passes the ball during the first quarter at Caesars Superdome. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

After dealing with injury for much of the offseason and preseason, Darius Alexander made his NFL debut in week two against the Cowboys.

Since that debut, he’s seen more defensive snaps in every game :

15 against Dallas
23 against Kansas City
25 against the Chargers
27 against the Saints

Alexander has struggled so far to make a positive impact in the run game, but as a pass-rusher, he has shown the flashes that helped him be a third-round pick in April.

It’s not surprising that he’s struggled against the run either; his pad level doesn’t drop consistently enough, and the coaching staff knows it - he’s played 68.9% of his snaps against the pass.

Sure, the staff doesn’t know the opposing play-call coming in, but he comes in more often when the defense is expecting a pass because that’s where his value lies.

RB Cam Skattebo

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) runs out the tunnel against New Orleans Saints during warmups at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Cam Skattebo is one of the most beloved Giants rookies in recent memory, due to both his physical running style and his outlandish personality.

In his NFL debut, Skattebo laid out a Washington Commanders defender in pass protection, and if any Giants fan didn’t love him before that, they sure did after.

Skattebo has been the lead back with Tyrone Tracy dealing with injury, and while he hasn’t given the offense any explosive plays, he’s clawed and scraped for tough yards, especially in the lone win over the Chargers.

On the season, Skattebo has 242 rushing yards, with 189 of those yards coming after contact —a whopping 78.1%.

Long-term, I don’t view Skattebo as a lead back for an NFL offense, but he’s someone who should consistently remain part of a rotation.

Giants fans can’t say that they know Skattebo is going to be productive, but they do know that he’s going to fight for every last yard available.

OL Marcus Mbow

The Giants got a steal value-wise when they selected Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

Mbow is capable of playing just about any spot on the offensive line, and while many didn’t expect him to play early on (I certainly didn’t), he was thrust into early action in week two.

James Hudson had a drive filled with penalties to start the game against the Cowboys, and for the remainder of the game, Mbow was the Giants' left tackle.

Mbow would also play another 38 snaps against the Chiefs, although that was a massive struggle for him in pass protection.

Getting significant playing time at left tackle for Mbow was a shock for many. It would be more likely to have Jermaine Eluemunor move to left tackle and have Mbow slot in at right tackle, where he played in college.

While his first meaningful NFL snaps didn’t go his way, Mbow got valuable experience early on and in his career and should be able to build on those for the remainder of the season.

TE Thomas Fidone II

Aug 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants tight end Thomas Fidone II (86) reaches for the ball thrown by quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Tight end Thomas Fidone II has yet to make an appearance on offense for the Giants, which isn’t surprising because that was expected when the Giants took him in the seventh round of the Draft.

Fidone II was initially considered someone who could sit behind Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger, and Chris Manhertz before being expected to make significant contributions on offense.

CB Korie Black

Jul 23, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Korie Black (25) participates in drills during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Giants drafted Oklahoma State CB Korie Black with their final selection of the Draft, but cut him at the end of the preseason.

He’s currently on the Jets practice squad.

WR Beaux Collins (UDFA)

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Beaux Collins (8) makes a catch against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Undrafted rookie receiver Beaux Collins flashed throughout the offseason for the Giants and ended up making the Giants' final 53-man roster as the lone undrafted rookie to make the team.

Because of the injuries that have piled up at receiver, Collins was thrust into action and saw his first career catch against the Saints in week five - a seven-yard reception.

Collins could carve out a more consistent role for himself in the coming weeks, especially with Darius Slayton dealing with a hamstring issue.

It’s important to remember that Dart likely has trust in Collins, as the two spent a lot of time on the field together during the offseason.

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