As the dust settles on the 2024 NFL Draft, the New York Giants are hoping they’ve done enough to accelerate their rebuild and move forward into a better future with their selections. History tells us that the Giants will hit on some of their picks, and inevitably some of their selections will be less than stellar. Still, that doesn’t mean Joe Schoen and company can’t continue to build off of their potential, and cultivate their roster around certain players.
The team decided against drafting a quarterback, and will instead enter the season with Daniel Jones leading the charge. However, they’ve strengthened the team around the most important position in the sport, and their draftees are looking to turn New York into a destination franchise once again.
As we move forward following the six additions the Giants made during the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s easy to see where they fit into their plans for next season and beyond. Here are the rankings of all the team’s draft picks from April, from worst to best:
6. UCLA LB Darius Muasau in the sixth round
While Darius Muasau may be the least exciting of the Giants draft selections, it mostly has to do with him being their final pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and coming in at a position where New York already has solid talent.
Throughout his rookie season, Muasau will be looked at as more of a depth guy than anything, with Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden and Isaiah Simmons all returning for another season. The team’s linebacker corps is in the best shape they’ve been in over the last couple of seasons, if not longer, and perhaps Muasau can add to that.
While playing with UCLA, Muasau started 26 games, and recorded 166 total tackles, three interceptions, 10 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over two seasons. Additionally, he started his collegiate career with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, where he was named to the First-Team All-Mountain West both seasons he was with the program. Does Muasau have potential? He’s proven that with UCLA and Hawaii both, but he’s not more exciting than any of the other Giants’ selections.
5. Kentucky CB Dru Phillips in the third round
One of the more surprising picks the Giants made during the 2024 NFL Draft was selecting Kentucky’s Dru Phillus with the No. 70 overall pick in the third round. While Phillips possesses some solid intangibles, as many have praised his high football IQ and athletic abilities, he’s slightly undersized, and his statistics don’t exactly back up the selection. Phillips didn’t even have an interception with the Wildcats last season, so this is someone the Giants are really hoping produces more at the NFL level.
That’s not to say it was a bad pick, but considering the talent on the board when the Giants made their selection, and the bust potential Phillips has entering the league, it was a head-scratcher. Still, perhaps defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and the team’s brass saw something that they could change in the former Kentucky defender, allowing them to utilize his talent in a new way.
All in all, Phillips was a physical corner at the least with the Wildcats, as he amassed 82 career tackles, 10 pass breakups and three tackles for loss in 38 games with Kentucky. It’ll be fascinating to see if he can get his interception numbers up, and prove the doubters wrong in 2024.
4. Purdue RB Tyrone Tracey Jr. in the fifth round
After Saquon Barkely decided to leave the New York Giants for the Philadelphia Eagles, the running back position became a position many expected the team to fill during the 2024 NFL Draft – and they did.
While the Giants signed Devin Singletary during the free agency period, and they still have Eric Gray Jr. on the roster, Schoen decided to draft Tyrone Tracy Jr. out of Purdue by way of Iowa during the fifth round. He’s still a little inexperienced at running back, as he played wide receiver before moving to the backfield.
While some may look at that inexperience as a detriment, the Giants likely saw what Tracy can do as a wide receiver, and believe they can cultivate his running back skills moving forward. If Brian Daboll and company are able to do so, they might have a steal on their hands in the former Big Ten playmaker.
Last season, Tracy electrified any way he could, whether in the kick-return game, catching the football or running the rock. Expect the Giants to get the most out of their fifth-round pick, who has the ability to take it to the house everytime he touches the ball.
3. Penn State TE Theo Johnson in the fourth round
Amid the uncertainty regarding Darren Waller’s future, the Giants drafted Theo Johnson out of Penn State with their first pick on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft in the fourth round. Over the course of his time with the Nittany Lions, Johnson appeared in 44 games, starting 29 times for the program which relies so heavily on their tight ends. All in all, Johnson finished his time in Happy Valley with 77 career receptions, 938 yards and 12 career touchdown receptions.
He’s a giant target, much in the same vein as Waller, and while he remains slightly raw as a prospect, his intangibles are strong. Many didn’t have him lasting as long as he did during the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Giants are thankful he did, and they might’ve drafted their tight end of the future in April.
If Waller returns, it’ll be someone Johnson can lean on and learn from. However, as it stands now, it looks like the former Penn State target can immediately start competing for playing time, and become someone Jones can rely on when throwing the football. Not too shabby for a fourth-round selection.
2. Minnesota DB Tyler Nubin in the second round
The Giants needed an influx of talent in their secondary after losing Xavier McKinney to the Green Bay Packers, and they drafted a suitable replacement in Tyler Nubin out of Minnesota during Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
While making his name known with the Golden Gophers, Nubin played in 55 career games. Over that time, he set the program record with 13 interceptions, and he wasn’t afraid to hit as well, posting 207 total tackles over the course of his time with Minnesota.
Nubin ended up being named to the First-Team All-Big Ten Team last season, an honor that shouldn’t be taken lightly, considering the talent in the conference, especially on the defensive side of the football. Now, he’ll be looking to bring the vigor he plays with to the Giants, and start during his rookie season.
The Giants filled a position of need, and drafted one of the top safeties in the 2024 NFL Draft in the process. It’s easy to see why the pick was lauded by experts at the time and continues to be as we move forward in the league year.
1. LSU WR Malik Nabers in the first round
It isn’t hard to understand why the top selection from the 2024 NFL Draft for the New York Giants was former LSU Tigers star wide receiver Malik Nabers, the team’s first-round pick. Nabers has all the makings of a top wide receiver coming into the league. The Giants have been yearning for one since Odell Beckham Jr. was traded to the Cleveland Browns, and now they have their man in Nabers. He could transform an offense that’s been looking for a playmaker for multiple seasons at the position.
He’ll immediately slot in as Jones’ top target. While Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt are nice players, Nabers has the potential to bring the Giants’ passing game to a different level. Additionally, his abilities should open up more room for that trio to operate as well.
During his time at LSU, Nabers was borderline unstoppable, playing a huge role in Jayden Daniels’ Heisman campaign last season. It helped him earn All-America honors, and become a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in 2023, where he lost by a single vote to Marvin Harrison Jr. in an amazing race.
Nabers is a game-changer, and he’ll have the opportunity to become one of the NFL’s top wide receivers in short order. He’s certainly the Giants’ top selection from the 2024 NFL Draft, and there isn’t much doubt there.
