Grading the NY Giants 2022 rookie class after Year 1 with Brian Daboll

The NY Giants 2022 season was a resounding success, and general manager Joe Schoen deserves a ton of credit. Schoen took over a Giants roster in need of serious work, and with no money to work with, he helped Big Blue get to the playoffs in his first season at the helm.

One of the main reasons for their early success: Schoen’s 2022 draft class. In this piece we take a look at the wise decisions Schoen made, and offer up our grades for these first-year playmakers.

Round 1, Pick 5: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux

The fifth overall pick was arguably the most hyped prospect in the 2022 Draft, but Kayvon Thibodeaux had a rocky start to his career. Thibodeaux suffered a sprained MCL on a controversial hit by Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss in Week 2 of the preseason, forcing him to miss the first two games of the regular season.

Thibodeaux recorded 34 solo tackles and forced two fumbles in 2022. The highlight of the year for him? Thibodeaux came around the edge in a Week 15 win against Washington, sacked Taylor Henieke, forced a fumble, scooped it up, and took it into the end zone. Thibodeaux had a monstrous performance in that win, a win that all but secured the Giants playoff berth.

PFF ranked Thibodeaux as the 37th-best edge rusher in 2022 and gave him an overall grade of 71.9. There were up and downs for the former Oregon standout, but there’s no question that his future is bright with the G-Men.

Grade: B+

Round 1, Pick 7: OT Evan Neal

When Evan Neal was drafted seventh overall in last April’s draft, it seemed as though the Giants had found their right tackle of the future. His 2022 rookie season was incredibly rocky, showing he has a long way to go to becoming a franchise tackle.

Neal was given a porous 44 overall grade by PFF and was graded as their second-worst offensive tackle in 2022. We have to remember that Neal played three seasons in college, one at left guard, one at right tackle, and one at left tackle, so he had to adjust to both playing in the NFL and learning how to play right tackle.

Neal is still a player with significant potential and promise for the future, but it’s fair to say his rookie season was disappointing.

Grade: C+

Round 2, Pick 43: WR Wan’Dale Robinson

Wan’Dale Robinson is one of the toughest Giants rookies to grade. After suffering a knee injury in training camp, Robinson missed the season’s first four games. Robinson’s season was then cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in a loss to Detriot in late November.

In five games last season, Robinson was targeted 30 times, hauling in 23 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown. When Daniel Jones targeted Robinson in 2022, he posted a phenomenal 108.6 passer rating.

Jones and Robinson developed some serious chemistry this past fall, something we first saw in training camp. Robinson had his first 100-yard receiving game in the Detriot loss and was getting better every game. If not for his injuries, Robinson was on pace for an impressive rookie season. Big things are expected from him in Year 2.

Grade: B+

Round 3, Pick 67: OL Josh Ezeudu

Josh Ezeudu joins the long list of Giants rookies who suffered injuries in 2022. Ezeudu, who many thought would win the left guard job in training camp, was on the field for just 289 snaps last season and was given a porous 46.0 overall grade by PFF.

Ezeudu suffered a neck injury in the Giants win over Houston, and despite playing the following week, missed the final seven games of the season due to that injury. The injury is not career-threatening, but right before Christmas, Brian Daboll said the injury is more “long-term than short-term”  which is rather concerning. The injuries and poor play combined to create a very disappointing rookie season for Ezeudu.

Grade: C-

Round 3, Pick 81: DB Cor’Dale Flott

Cor’Dale Flott was an incredibly raw prospect when drafted. Flott was just 20 years old when drafted, and relatively unknown. The rookie from LSU displayed his raw potential in 2022, appearing in 11 games.

Despite playing sparingly, Flott received a starter quality coverage grade from PFF. Flott was matched up with A.J. Brown in the Giants Week 18 loss against the Eagles and shined. Daboll was thrilled with Flott’s third-down pass breakup against one of the league’s best receivers.

Grade: B+

Round 4, Pick 112: TE Daniel Bellinger

Daniel Bellinger was one of the best picks Schoen made last April. The tight end was limited to just 11 games due to a scary eye injury, but still managed to haul in 30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He also added another rushing touchdown in the Giants London victory over the Packers.

Bellinger was known as a run-blocking tight end in college, but really flashed in the passing game, becoming one of Jones’ most reliable pass-catching options, and he even caught a playoff touchdown. The Dan-to-Dan connection is one we could be seeing for the long haul.

Grade: A-

Round 4, Pick 114: S Dane Belton

Belton struggled in 2022, albeit in limited action. The rookie out of Iowa suffered a broken collarbone in training camp, which put him behind the eight ball from the start. Belton was given a horrendous 30.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Belton played a fair amount early in the season before falling out of favor with the defensive coaches. The one positive about Belton’s rookie season is that he showed some serious improvement throughout the season, and even picked off Jalen Hurts in the regular-season finale. He needs to show major improvements in 2023.

Grade: C-

Round 5, Pick 146: LB Micah McFadden

McFadden had one of the biggest roles of the Giants 2022 rookie class. The inside linebacker began to receive significant playing time in Big Blue’s loss at Seattle, and even took over as the Giants second starting linebacker alongside Jaylon Smith.

McFadden displayed some promise, especially with his tackling and pass-rushing, but was removed from his starting role and was even a healthy scratch for the Giants two postseason games. Despite the disappointing end to his season, a fifth-round pick who cracks the starting lineup in his rookie season has to be doing something right.

Grade: B

Round 5, Pick 147: DL DJ Davidson

It’s hard to grade the rookie nose tackle’s 2022 season. DJ Davidson played just 43 regular season snaps and suffered a torn ACL in the Giants London victory against the Packers. He showed some promise in training camp and the Giants defensive sorely needed the depth Davidson could have provided late in the season.

Grade: N\A

Round 5, Pick 173: OL Marcus McKethan

Marcus McKethan was the second interior offensive lineman Schoen took from North Carolina last April. Unfortunately, McKethan suffered a torn ACL early in training camp and missed the entire 2022 season.

Grade: N\A

Round 6, Pick 182: LB Darrian Beavers

Darrian Beavers suffered a torn ACL in the Giants preseason victory against Cincinnati. It was a real shame the Cincinnati product tore his ACL because he had such an outstanding training camp, and likely would have started at inside linebacker for most of the campaign. It looks as though Schoen may have found a late-round gem.

Grade: N\A

Overall takeaways

Schoen’s first draft class was destroyed by injuries. Every one of his 11 selections dealt with an injury at one point in their rookie seasons, and four of them suffered torn ACL’s. Multiple rookies played key roles on a team that advanced all the way to the Divisional Round, which is awesome for their development. The early picks look like they will be impact players, and it seems as though Schoen found some quality depth with the others taken.

Overall Grade: B

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