The New York Giants were largely heralded for a very strong 2025 NFL Draft class in what could be Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen's final season in town, but there's a very strong chance that some of their top picks end up getting axed before the season.
One of the last picks the Giants made in this class involved a young tight end in former Nebraska standout Thomas Fidone II. The tough part for the former top recruit, however, will be making the final 53-man roster due to a big positional logjam.
Fidone is likely going to enter Giants training camp as the fifth tight end on the roster, meaning he will need to beat out an established veteran if he wants to avoid getting released after training camp and bouncing around the practice squad early in his pro career.
Giants rookie TE Thomas Fidone II might not make 53-man roster
Fidone came into college with plenty of hype, as he was briefly considered the top tight end prospect in the country. While he did have some nice moments at Nebraska, constant coaching chaos on the Cornhuskers prevented him from reaching his full potential.
Fidone set new personal best marks with 36 catches and 373 yards in his final collegiate season, but he didn't find the end zone once. Even with those average stats, the Giants picked him based on his combination of physical tools, promising athleticism, and smooth movement in open space.
Unfortunately for Fidone, he is coming to a Giants team that has a fairly robust tight end room ahead of him. It seems incredibly unlikely that he will challenge fourth-round pick Theo Johnson for the starting role, and even the backups present a fairly meaty challenge.
Daniel Bellinger is the ironclad No. 2 tight end, and it seems as though the Giants will likely keep one of either designated blocker Chris Manhertz or former Broncos draft pick Greg Dulcich on the roster. Keeping four tight ends on the 53-man roster is a stretch, and keeping five would be almost unheard of. All of that is bad news for Fidone.
The Giants will likely have no qualms about stashing Fidone on the practice squad in his rookie season. In fact, they may already be preparing for that situation, as it seems very unlikely that Fidone is going to play a big role in this offense during his first professional season.