May 03, 2024
Scott Clause/USA TODAY NETWORK
Preview of Malik Nabers diving for inaccurate passes from Daniel Jones.
The Giants' loss to the Cowboys Week 1 in 2023 was one of the worst opening day drubbings in NFL history that essentially killed any reasonable Giants fans' hopes immediately to begin the season. It didn't get much better, as they started the season 2-8, and were dead and buried by Thanksgiving.
However, they won 4 of their last 7, ruining their draft position, and landing at No. 6 overall, in a position where selecting one of the top three quarterbacks would be unlikely, and being put in a position to decide whether to go get get one of the Tier 2 quarterback prospects instead.
Let's look at what the Giants did on draft weekend and grade their picks.
• Giants, Pick 6: Malik Nabors, WR, LSU: Nabers was a star receiver for LSU, catching 89 passes for 1569 yards and 17 TDs in 2023. He's not a tall receiver at 6'0, but he's well built with a strong frame, and 4.35 speed that shows up on the field.
When the Giants were on clock at pick No. 6, there were three quarterbacks available who ultimately got drafted within the first 12 picks. They were Michael Penix (8th overall), J.J. McCarthy (10th overall), and Bo Nix (12th overall).
The Giants obviously didn't think enough of Penix, McCarthy, or Nix to make any of them their their new franchise quarterback. It will be interesting to see what becomes of their professional careers.
Nabers is an exciting prospect at an obvious position of need, but with the non-selection of a quarterback the Giants will stick with Daniel Jones, who has been in the league for five years and has a 22-36-1 record. That's who is going to be throwing passes to Nabers. Or Drew Lock, maybe? 🤷♂️
• Pick 47: Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota: Nubin is a big hitter with ball skills (12 INTs since 2021). He is a downfield force against the run who has good recognition when playing deep. He is an all-around solid safety prospect, but with unimpressive athletic testing measurables.
In free agency, the Giants opted not to franchise tag Xavier McKinney, who signed a four-year deal worth $68 million with the Packers. $17 million per year is big money, but McKinney is still only 24 years old and he is one of the best safeties in the NFL. In 2023, he had 116 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and 3 INTs. It was a curious decision for the Giants not to tag McKinney, seeing as, you know, they don't have many good players. There's a pretty good chance that they used a premium pick on Nubin because they let McKinney get away.
If you're a Giants fan, would you rather have McKinney plus a different prospect at Pick 47, or Nubin and some extra cap space?
• Pick 70: Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky: Phillips had 0 career INTs and only 10 pass breakups, so his ball skill production leaves a lot to be desired. However, at the Senior Bowl in January, wide receivers couldn't shake him all week. He's a feisty inside/outside corner prospect with some explosive athletic measurables.
Phillips was a prospect who gained some steam throughout the draft process because of his strong Senior Bowl and Combine performances, so much so that some thought of him as a second-round pick. For me, the 0 career INTs is a significant red flag, and there were a bunch of decent interior offensive line prospects who got picked shortly after Phillips.
• Pick 107: Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State: When the Giants traded a third-round pick for Darren Waller during the 2023 offseason, it was widely viewed as a steal. But, nope. In his first (and maybe last) season with the Giants, Waller had 52 catches for 552 yards and 1 TD. He was hardly the impact player the Giants thought they were getting. There has been speculation that Waller might retire, and the Giants' actions this offseason point to their belief that he will indeed hang up his cleats. They signed TEs Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz in free agency, and then added Theo Johnson in the fourth round.
Johnson didn't have eye-popping production at Penn State, as he had just 341 receiving yards in his best season in 2023. (He did have 7 TDs). However, he is thought of as a very good blocker, and he has outstanding athleticism.
Johnson has some nice upside and is a good value in the fourth round, but Joe Schoen probably only made this pick because he got suckered into giving up a Day 2 pick on a 30-something tight end on the downside of his career.
• Pick 166: Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Purdue: Tracy is an interesting prospect in that he's a wide receiver who moved to running back. Like Nabors, Phillips, and Johnson above, Tracy has good athleticism for his position.
After Saquon Barkley, the Giants' leading rusher in terms of yards per carry last season was Eric Gray, at 2.8 (!) yards per carry. Yes, the Giants' offensive line stunk, but the running backs after Barkley didn't help matters.
• Pick 183: Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA: In three years at Hawaii and two at UCLA, Muasau had 436 career tackles (40 for loss), 16.5 sacks, and 5 INTs, so he certainly had good college production, but lasted until the sixth round because he's under 6 feet tall, and has average athleticism. Still, this was a reasonably good value for a backup linebacker who plays hard and made plays in college.
The Giants added a bunch of athletic players, which is fine and good, but their fans have to endure another season with Daniel Jones as the starter, which would feel especially unfair given their season was over in 2023 before it ever really got started. And guess what... 2024 will be over before it starts, too.
Grade: C
The Giants were in the middle of the pack nationally.
🏈🧑🏻🎓 I´ve compiled 20 evaluations of the 2024 NFL draft and totaled the team grades.
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) April 28, 2024
Here is the spreadsheet. Sorted by GPA for all 32 teams.
I also sorted the 20 evaluations by GPA. From left (soft graders) to right (hard graders).
Thanks to all who give out grades every year! pic.twitter.com/53EozhxKQT
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