The 2024 season was an absolute trainwreck for the New York Giants. A 3-14 record. A revolving door at quarterback. A front office under fire. But somehow, in the middle of the disaster, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll found something worth celebrating—their rookie class.
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice ranked the Giants' 2024 draft class as the 6th-best in the league, proving that despite all the on-field failures, New York at least got one thing right. Malik Nabers emerged as a bona fide star at wide receiver. Tyler Nubin and Andru Phillips solidified the secondary. Theo Johnson showed promise at tight end. And Tyrone Tracy Jr.? He led the team in rushing after converting from wide receiver.
For all the talk about how Schoen and Daboll failed to build a competitive team, this rookie class may have saved their jobs. Now, the big question heading into 2025 is simple: Can they do it again?
The 2024 rookie class gave Giants fans something to believe in
There wasn’t much to be proud of last season, but Malik Nabers changed that. The sixth overall pick immediately proved why he was one of the best receivers in the draft, posting 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns—all while catching passes from a collection of quarterbacks who had no business starting in the NFL.
Filice described Nabers as having a “dog mentality with dynamic playmaking ability,” and that’s exactly what the Giants needed after years of failed receiver experiments. For the first time since Odell Beckham Jr., New York has a legit WR1.
But Nabers wasn’t the only rookie who impressed. Tyler Nubin and Andru Phillips gave the secondary some much-needed stability. Nubin, a second-round pick, looked like a long-term answer at safety, while third-rounder Phillips made an impact as a nickel corner.
And while injuries slowed him down, Theo Johnson showed enough flashes at tight end to make it clear he can be a weapon in the passing game.
And then there’s Tyrone Tracy Jr.—a fifth-round pick turned RB1. Despite being a college wide receiver, Tracy led the Giants in rushing, totaling 839 yards and five touchdowns. Considering how bad the offense was, his emergence was one of the biggest surprises of the year.
The blueprint for 2025 is simple: Do it again
The Giants have eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. If they can replicate what they did last year, this team might actually start heading in the right direction.
Look, one good draft class doesn’t erase all the mistakes Schoen has made. But it does prove he’s capable of making the right calls when it matters. If the Giants want to turn things around in 2025, they need another class like this.
Last year, Schoen passed on a quarterback. This time around, he can’t afford to. Whether it’s Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, or someone else, the Giants need to land a true franchise QB to build around their young core.
The 2024 draft class provided hope. Now, Schoen and Daboll need to prove it wasn’t a fluke.