It seems like a tradition every summer that we see some big-time surprises from every NFL team's training camp and the NY Giants are no exception to this. Every offseason, we see surprise players outperform expectations, and as much as it may suck, some guys don't live up to the hype right away either.
This year is a continuation of this tradition and through the first week of camp, we have seen some wild things go down that weren't exactly expected. From UDFAs pushing for starting spots, to improvements from second-year players, these surprises have been big stories throughout the first week of training camp for the G-Men and Brian Daboll:
5. Jalin Hyatt is improving everyday and looks like a future star
While we expected Jalin Hyatt to make improvements coming off an inconsistent rookie season, it's tough to say we thought he'd look as good as he has so far. Not only has Hyatt looked better as a deep threat, but his all-around receiving game has seen big-time improvements as well.
Coming out of college, Hyatt was seen as a high-ceiling receiver, whose floor was a great deep threat thanks to his absurd speed. However, it seems scouts didn't believe in Hyatt's ability to improve, as he fell to the Giants in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While his rookie season wasn't great, this is mostly due to factors outside of his control like poor quarterback play.
It’s apparent that Jalin Hyatt took a jump with his ability to create separation at the top of his breaks.
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) July 30, 2024
His off-season hard work is evident early in camp.
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Hyatt is looking like he could play a real role with the Giants, especially if the improvements he's made in the medium pass-catching range hold up. This is the area the offense needs the most out of, as they already have deep threats like Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton, and short threats like Wan'Dale Robinson.
With enough luck, the Giants quarterbacks, whether it be Daniel Jones or Drew Lock, can help Hyatt reach the potential we know he has. The team cannot afford to waste time by having Hyatt be consistently under or overthrown like he was last season.
4. Malik Nabers is looking like a WR1 already
To stick with the theme of wide receivers, Nabers has been nothing short of phenomenal throughout the start of training camp and has been doing things we haven't seen since Odell Beckham Jr. was with the team.
While everyone expected Nabers to be a big contributor to the Giants' offense, not everyone thought he'd look like a superstar this early on in training camp. Nabers has made such an impact, that when he took a rest for Day 6 of camp, the offense looked significantly worse according to multiple media members:
Not surprising to hear the #Giants having their worst offensive day with Malik Nabers barely taking reps (rest, no concern). He is the offense for now.
— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) July 30, 2024
I trust Brian Daboll to scheme plays open, but ultimately, it will revolve around Nabers drawing defenders OR making plays.
The Giants have been without a real WR1 since 2019 - they've certainly made investments, but none have paid off. However, it seems like all it took was taking Nabers No. 6 overall in this year's draft to finally find the guy they needed to turn their offensive woes around.
During his last season at LSU, Nabers caught 89 catches for 1,568 yards and 14 touchdowns. These are elite numbers, and a sign of a star in the making. Hopefully, the Giants do not waste him as they did with the last LSU receiver they drafted in the first round.
3. Daniel Jones continuing to be inconsistent as a passer
Following a disastrous 2023 season which saw Jones throw six interceptions in as many games alongside a torn ACL, fans were hoping Danny Dimes could bounce back for the Giants, as the bar was incredibly low for him to get any worse. However, to start training camp, things have not been looking good.
Jones has struggled mightily to throw the ball deep in training camp, which considering his prior issues of doing so in regular season action, rightfully has fans worried. However, it is just training camp, and Jones hasn't been able to throw against real defenses since he tore his ACL, so giving the veteran more time to adapt may pay off.
Despite this, it's easy to understand the concerns fans have. A lot of the things Jones is struggling with to start camp are things he has failed to do throughout his entire career. Considering how aggressive the Giants offense has looked in camp, the team may need to look in another direction if Jones keeps playing rough. Drew Lock time? Maybe not yet, but Jones must improve.
2. The Greg Van Roten signing solified the Giants offensive line
Not long ago, the Giants met with free agent guard Greg Van Roten. This news came just hours before it was announced that Evan Neal would start training camp on the PUP list. With this in mind, the Giants finally came to an agreement with the former Raider, and it seems like Van Roten will be a significant part of the Giants' offensive line in 2024.
Unfortunately, the Van Roten signing likely brings the end of Neal as the Giants starting right tackle. Both Van Roten, and Jon Runyan will be manning the guard spots, and Jermaine Eluemunor is too good to come off the bench, and has played tackle the majority of his career. He should be your new RT.
Biggest takeaway from the signing of Greg Van Roten: Giants are going to keep Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. They can't keep moving him back + forth. That means Evan Neal's run as starting RT is likely over, barring injuries to others. He also doesn't seem that close to a…
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) July 30, 2024
Eluemunor provides a significantly higher floor at tackle than Neal ever did, as the veteran allowed just 28 pressures and six sacks through 17 games last season. It's unfortunate, as the Giants drafted Neal No. 7 overall to be a franchise cornerstone, but he never managed to develop for several reasons both within his control and out of it.
As for Van Roten, he is a great guard option for the Giants. The 34-year-old OL has played 16+ games each of the last three seasons and had the seventh-highest overall grade amongst all guards in the NFL according to PFF. This is another great offensive line signing by Schoen, making for three in just one offseason.
1. Dyontae Johnson is tearing things up
This year's training camp has been one for the UDFAs. From Elijah Chatman getting first-team reps on the defensive line, to Casey Rogers being the first player on the field every day so far, and now, we have Dyontae Johnson making a serious push to be a starting linebacker, which would be huge for the Giants' defense.
Johnson was a UDFA last season out of Toledo. While he didn't see the field in '23, it seems like that will change this year, as Johnson has been tearing things up with the starting unit. The Giants have been home to several underdog linebackers in the past, and Johnson has a real chance to join the club if he keeps this up.
He won't be starting over Bobby Okereke, but if Johnson continues to show out, he could push Micah McFadden out of the starting lineup. McFadden made several improvements around the board last season, but was still wildly inconsistent at times. Worst case for Johnson, he can still expect to see plenty of time once the regular season gets here even if it's Okereke and McFadden out on the field come Week 1.