While the 2024 campaign has not gone how the Giants hoped, a bright spot has been the performance of the rookie class.
Heading into Week 11, the Giants are among the league leaders in snaps played by rookies. Not only have they played a lot, but they have also produced.
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Giants have had a player nominated for the Rookie of the Week award eight times – four by wide receiver Malik Nabers and four by running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.
"I think it's important for veterans to have leadership presence, but I'd say our rookies have a lot of leadership in them too," coach Brian Daboll told the media last week before the trip to Munich. "Again, they're playing a lot of football. They're learning as we go, but they all have the right mindset. I'm pleased with how they act outside the building, inside the building, the work they put in and their skill set. I really enjoy working with these young guys. They're made of the right kind of stuff."
Let's take a look at how each member of the Giants' rookie class has fared through the first 10 games of the season.
WR Malik Nabers
Round 1, Pick No. 6
Stats: 8 games (7 starts), 61 receptions for 607 yards and 3 touchdowns
Malik Nabers' career got off to an explosive start. The rookie wide receiver was targeted a whopping 52 times through the first four weeks of the season, which resulted in 35 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns. The No. 6 overall pick suffered a concussion at the end of the Week 4 game against the Cowboys, which led to him missing the next two contests as he progressed through the concussion protocol. In the four weeks since returning, Nabers' targets have picked up right where he left off with 42 passes thrown his way. But the wideout has totaled 26 receptions for 221 yards and no touchdowns during that span.
Despite the dip in production in recent weeks, Nabers still leads the Giants with 61 receptions, 607 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He ranks third in the NFL with his 61 receptions and sits just five catches shy of Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase for the league-lead, even though he has played in two fewer games. Meanwhile, his 607 receiving yards are tied with Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for the most among all rookies (Thomas has also played two more games than Nabers).
S Tyler Nubin
Round 2, Pick No. 47
Stats: 10 games (10 starts), 69 total tackles (43 solo), 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Tyler Nubin has been one of the most consistent players on the Giants' defense this season. The rookie safety has registered eight or more total tackles in five of the last seven games, including several outings where he finished as the team's leading tackler. But perhaps the most impressive part of the second-round pick's performance this season has been his ability to stay on the field. Through the first 10 weeks, Nubin has played every defensive snap in nine games, and has missed just two total defensive snaps overall.
Heading into the bye, Nubin ranks second on the team with 69 total tackles, while his 43 solo tackles are the most on the defense. Additionally, his 69 total tackles also leads all rookies. Nubin has also recorded three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
CB Dru Phillips
Round 3, Pick No. 70
Stats: 9 games (4 starts), 43 total tackles (26 solo), 1.0 sack, 6 tackles for loss, 1 quarterback hit, 2 forced fumbles
Dru Phillips is another reason why the rookie class has gotten off to such a strong start. The third-round pick has played well in both the run and pass game this season, and is coming off one of the best games of his young NFL career. Phillips registered just four total tackles (three solo) against the Panthers in Munich, but added his second forced fumble of the season. The young cornerback was also great in coverage, allowing three receptions for only six yards on 22 coverage snaps. This earned him a passer rating against of 64.6, along with Pro Football Focus' Rookie of the Week award.
Phillips' season totals include 43 tackles (26 solo) and one sack, while his two forced fumbles are tied with Bobby Okereke for the most on the team. Meanwhile, his six tackles for loss rank fourth behind Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and Azeez Ojulari. Not only does Phillips land inside the top 5 of PFF's list of the season's top rookies, but he is also one of the analytics site's top cornerbacks overall in coverage this year.
View photos of the Giants' 2024 rookie class in their first NFL season.
TE Theo Johnson
Round 4, Pick No. 107
Stats: 10 games (9 starts), 21 receptions for 238 yards and 1 touchdown
After a slow start to the season, Theo Johnson has seen his role grow over the last six weeks. Johnson caught a total of three passes for 37 yards over the first four games. In the six contests since, the 6-foot-6, 264-pound tight end has five games with at least three receptions. During that stretch, Johnson has caught 18 passes for 201 yards and his first career touchdown. He has also been on the field for no less than 85 percent of the team's offensive snaps in each of the last five games.
Heading into Week 11, Johnson ranks third among rookie tight ends and 12th among all rookies with his 238 receiving yards. Only Las Vegas' Brock Bowers and Carolina's Ja'Tavion Sanders have more receiving yards among first-year tight ends. Additionally, Johnson has performed well in pass protection, allowing just two total pressures on 55 pass blocking snaps.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Round 5, Pick No. 166
Stats: 10 games (6 starts), 107 rush attempts for 545 yards (5.1 avg.) and 3 touchdowns; 18 receptions for 117 yards
The Giants have garnered praise from members of the media for their 2024 draft class, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. has played a significant role in that. The rookie running back was only used sparingly across the first four games before an injury to veteran Devin Singletary paved the way for Tracy to lead the backfield. The 24-year-old took the opportunity and ran with it, as he has now topped 100 yards from scrimmage in four of six games since taking over as the Giants' primary running back, including three outings with over 100 yards on the ground.
During that span, Tracy is averaging 18.2 total touches and 98.7 total yards per game while registering 22 total missed tackles forced. Despite his limited touches over the first four weeks, Tracy ranks 20th in the NFL with his 545 rushing yards, which also leads all rookies. His 5.1 yards per carry on the season is tied for 8th in the NFL among players with 60 or more rush attempts, aided by three different games with an average yards per carry of 5.7 or more and 14 runs of 10+ yards.
ILB Darius Muasau
Round 6, Pick No. 183
Stats: 8 games (1 start), 11 total tackles (7 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception
Due to an injury to starter Micah McFadden, Darius Muasau was thrust into the starting lineup in the season opener against the Vikings. The rookie sixth-round pick had his strongest overall game in Week 1, finishing with a season-high six tackles (five solo) along with his only tackle for loss on the year. Muasau also recorded an interception in that game, which still stands as the team's only interception of the season. The rookie linebacker has not gotten a ton of playing time on defense since the opener, but has developed into one of the team's core special teams players, playing over 80 percent of the team's special teams snaps in each of the last five games.
DL Elijah Chatman
Undrafted free agent
Stats: 10 games (1 start), 8 total tackles (5 solo), 1.0 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 2 quarterback hits, 1 fumble recovery
Elijah Chatman has played just 26 percent of the team's defensive snaps this season, mostly coming in for passing situations. The undrafted rookie picked up his first NFL sack in Week 3 against the Browns, and has also added two quarterback hits, eight total tackles and a fumble recovery to his season stats. But his success as a pass rusher goes beyond the box score. According to Next Gen Stats, Chatman has generated a quarterback pressure on 8.3 percent of his pass rushes this season. This is the sixth-highest quarterback pressure rate among all rookies, while his nine total pressures rank eighth among the rookie class.
G Jake Kubas
Undrafted free agent
After making the team as an undrafted rookie free agent, Jake Kubas has only been active for the Week 7 game against the Eagles, although he did not appear in the game.
K Jude McAtamney
Undrafted free agent
Stats: 1 for 1 on field goal attempts (31 yards), 1 for 1 on extra point attempts
After spending most of the season on the practice squad, Jude McAtamney was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 9 matchup against the Commanders. McAtamney was successful on both of his kicks, connecting on a 31-yard field goal and his lone extra point attempt.
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