Giants First-round Rookies on Opposite End of NFL Analyst's Grading Spectrum

The New York Giants' 2025 season has been in the dumps for weeks since they officially shot themselves out of playoff contention for the eighth time in the last decade, leaving one of the only elements of their team worth following to the end being the continued progression of their rookie class.

Even though the franchise's newest group of first-year players still have three more regular-season games in front of them, their debut journeys have now seen enough live work on Sundays to start piecing together a clear impression of whether they are living up to the expectations placed upon them before the campaign started.

Among them, the two most important names that everyone has been keeping a close eye on are quarterback Jaxson Dart and outside linebacker Abdul Carter, both of whom came into the Big Apple as first-round selections with the potential to become cornerstone pieces for the Giants organization far down the road.

With 14 games at the professional level under their belts, the early stories of the two novices have gone in completely different directions for New York, as evidenced by NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks handing down polar-opposite assessments of their development as they fight through the final bend of their first season.

In his analysis that dished out grades to all 32 first-round picks from the 2025 NFL Draft, Brooks delivered a shocking "D" grade to Carter before passing Dart with flying colors on an "A" grade.

New York Giants rookie outside linebacker Abdul Carter — New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51) gets ready for a play during a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"There is no disputing Carter's potential as a speed rusher with 'take over the game' potential, but his immaturity and lack of professionalism have overshadowed the enticing flashes between the lines," Brooks said about the Giants' young defender.

When general manager Joe Schoen and the Giants knew they would be picking third overall in last April's draft, they didn't make luring Carter to East Rutherford a top priority for nothing. He was arguably the best overall prospect in the class, and the nation's best pass rusher in 2024, with 12 sacks and a skill set that they hoped would only deepen the team's pass-rushing capabilities.

Sadly, Giants fans have heard more about the Penn State product for his behavioral hiccups off the gridiron than his heroics in the opposing backfield. It has become one of the glaring negatives of this dark and gloomy season for the Giants, who wanted to stake their identity on owning one of the league's best edge-rushing units.

Instead, Carter has struggled to stay in the action at times, including missing three combined defensive series in two contests due to disciplinary infractions. His rookie stat line sat just outside of the Giants' top 11 defensive producers coming out of the bye week with 31 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss, which all mark lows in his position group.

Perhaps Carter has finally begun to wise up to the barrage of criticism he has received from leaders both inside and outside the facilities, including Brooks's sour grade of his contributions, as his NFL debut draws to an end. He just put forth arguably his best outing of the season against the Washington Commanders.

Despite the Giants' 29-21 loss, Carter was instrumental in helping his team form a mini comeback in the second half behind 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles with one that was recovered in the fourth quarter to give the Giants one last chance to tie the game down eight points.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass through strong Washington defense, Sunday, December 14, 2025. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Carter will have three more chances to prove himself and set a better foundation for his return in 2026, but as for Dart, the early returns could not have been much better for the gunslinger whom the Giants wagered important draft capital to move up the board to select.

That bold move might have been pushed by former head coach Brian Daboll, who was later dismissed amid the Giants' poor record in his fourth year. Still, the rookie signal caller's trajectory doesn't appear to be falling backwards without the presence of his initial mentor.

In reality, Dart has been the spark plug that a long-time, dismal Giants offense has been searching for to start gaining respect from the rest of the league again.

He stands tall among his fellow rookie arms with 20 combined touchdowns on over 2,200 yards of total production from his dual-threat abilities and has flashed the competitive spirit that often defines the best leaders in the NFL.

As Brooks points out, however, Dart's future will only go as far as he can protect himself from the barrage of scary hits we've seen him take in a short span, which have made him a frequent visitor to the blue medical tent and a first-time participant in the concussion protocol.

Between his confident arm, toughness in the pocket, and desire to do anything it takes to make big plays happen for his offense, Dart has already shown he has what it takes to succeed in the New York environment if he plays his cards right.

Well, that and the Giants organization doing their part this offseason to surround him with a few more talented cast members who can ball out on Sundays.

If both the rookie and the Giants franchise can take the necessary steps towards improvement and join hands with the right leadership before next season, the sky can truly be the limit on what they can achieve.

The Giants aren't ready to bail on them after one miserable season, when the conditions weren't perfect anyway, and so what matters will be the future evaluations when it's time to decide whether the initial experiment with Carter and Dart is worth a long-term commitment.

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