The New York Giants have a burgeoning pool of players coming in at 25 years old and under who recently got recognized for their noteworthy talent.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz ranked the Giants’ collection of under-25 contributors as No. 13 overall in the NFL (h/t Ezekiel Tresvant of Fan Nation’s Giants Country). Their most prominent players under that age threshold include No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers, wide receivers Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, and tight end Daniel Bellinger on offense, as well as linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and safety Tyler Nubin on defense.
Giants’ young offensive weapons will have significant roles in 2024
Nabers excelled in his final season at LSU as one of the best volume receivers in college football and could scratch the surface of 1,000 receiving yards in 2024. Meanwhile, Robinson’s exceptional hands, highlighted by his 76.9 percent catch percentage in 2023, and Hyatt’s big-play ability with his team-leading 16.2 yards per reception last season, make them a pass-catching tandem that could give the Giants’ aerial attack major variation.
Bellinger is expected to take the reigns from the retired Darren Waller and improve in 2024 at the tight end slot. That will service a Giants team that finished with the fourth-fewest passing touchdowns (15) in 2023.
Giants have a pair of young defenders that could emerge next season
Meanwhile on defense, Thibodeaux is gunning for Giants legend Michael Strahan’s single-season sacks record, and Nubin is looked at as a safety of the future for the franchise with great intangibles, physical gifts, and similarities to Denver Broncos Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons.
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New York’s young core slipped in rankings due to letdown performers who could bounce back in 2024
Schatz previously had New York’s young core as the sixth-best unit ahead of the 2023 season and dropped them by seven slots this summer thanks in part to right tackle Evan Neal and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari failing to live up to expectations last time out.
However, Neal is expected to take a jump in 2024 after struggling mightily in the first half of the 2023 season while Ojulari’s 2.5 sacks, which earned him a 51.8 player grade from Pro Football Focus last year, are also due for an uptick.
The Giants‘ addition of Nabers did not help them remain in the top 10, but their collective, also including cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, who earned a 53.3 player grade from PFF on the previous campaign, has the makings to impress and improve at their respective positions. Other teams like the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans have young cores that wow, but the Giants could do damage on both sides of the line of scrimmage in 2024, making their potential very encouraging, to say the least.
