The Giants are about to change a lot of “incomplete” grades to “pass” or “fail.”
The rule of thumb in the NFL is to avoid grading a draft class until after three seasons.
Well, in many ways, the Giants’ 2024 season hinges on their 2022 draft class, with most of general manager Joe Schoen’s 11 picks either entering make-or-break years or being asked to ascend to bigger roles.
“It takes time. Guys have to develop,” Schoen said on April 30, 2022, after trying to add “versatility, competition and depth” in his first draft at the helm. “Hopefully as many of these guys turn into starters as we can, but we are not going to hand anybody anything.”
The time is now.
Here is the challenge for members of the pivotal class:
Kayvon Thibodeaux (OLB, first round)
An optimist will see Thibodeaux’s 11.5 sacks last season — the most by a Giant since 2014 — as just scratching the surface.
Especially now that he is paired with Brian Burns and will face fewer than last year’s 44 double-teams, as extra blockers go in Burns’ direction.
A pessimist will see Thibodeaux’s sack total as unreplicable.
His pass-rush productivity ranked No. 116 among edge rushers by Pro Football Focus, as a result of his low rate of pressures-per-rush.
If Thibodeaux is seeking a Burns-like extension (five years, $141 million) when he becomes eligible next offseason, he needs to follow through on high self-set goals like leading the NFL in sacks.
Evan Neal (RT, first)
Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are doing what all regimes do by giving an underachieving first-rounder every opportunity to turn things around — even when there is no evidence that it will happen.
Coming off a fractured ankle that was originally diagnosed as a sprain, Neal did not participate in 11-on-11s and appeared to suffer a setback in his rehab when he was relegated to the exercise bike late in the spring.
He allowed 12 sacks and 91 pressures in his first 20 career games, before missing the last 10.
Neal hasn’t played at home since he blasted the “sheep” Giants fans who criticize him.
A strong case could be made that no player outside of quarterback Daniel Jones will have a greater impact on whether the Giants’ No. 29-ranked offense improves and the new-look offensive line (franchise-record 85 sacks allowed last season) jells.
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR, second)
The hype around Robinson is intensifying, after he totaled 24 catches for 260 yards in the last five games and showed the slipperiness he had pre-torn ACL.
Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb also shouted out Robinson as a “sleeper.”
Rookie Malik Nabers has all the makings of a 120-target, No. 1 receiver.
Pencil in Darius Slayton for his typical 48 catches and 750 yards.
Robinson could be the element that elevates the receiving corps to the best it has been in years, if he can take advantage of single coverage over the middle by duplicating his SEC-leading 22 forced missed tackles in 2021.
Josh Ezeudu (OT, third)
If the Giants’ insurance plan for Neal was to move left guard Jermaine Eluemunor to right tackle and slide in Ezeudu at guard, Ezuedu would have taken some snaps on the interior during the spring to sharpen his versatility.
He did not.
The Giants put Ezeudu in an unfair spot last season, sticking him at left tackle (where the results were disastrous) after just two weeks of practice.
He won’t have that same excuse as the swing tackle in 2024, based on his heavy dual-side tackle workload.
Whether the Giants are misjudging Ezeudu’s best position — and failing to challenge Neal in the process — is a different debate.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB, third)
Just like Neal on the other side of the ball, Flott could be the X factor for the entire defense.
He wasn’t ready to start in the slot at this time one year ago, which forced a lineup reshuffling.
He ultimately allowed 40 catches (on 62 targets) for 452 yards and three touchdowns.
The Giants decided Flott is better suited for the outside, penciled him in as a starter and gave little-to-no guaranteed money to backups Darnay Holmes, David Long Jr. and Tre Herndon if he falters.
He was on the coverage end of the good news/bad news development of Nabers’ dynamic spring.
Daniel Bellinger (TE, fourth)
In theory, Darren Waller’s retirement should turn Bellinger back into a starter like he was as a rookie (30 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games).
Except most of the first-team reps in the spring went to rookie Theo Johnson and Lawrence Cager.
Bellinger was marginalized behind Waller, and it appears he and Daboll weren’t on the same page regarding the extent of an injury he suffered earlier this offseason.
Dane Belton (S, fourth)
The nose for the ball Belton has displayed in limited action (four interceptions, three fumble recoveries) wasn’t enough to deter the Giants from drafting 2024 second-rounder Tyler Nubin as the future replacement for departed co-captain Xavier McKinney.
Daboll’s track record suggests no hesitation putting rookies with the starters as soon as they earn it, but Belton remained ahead of Nubin all spring, so a position battle could be brewing.
Micah McFadden (LB, fifth)
If Isaiah Simmons is headed to a hybrid defensive back/outside linebacker role, McFadden might go unchallenged as the No. 2 inside linebacker behind Bobby Okereke.
He already is established as a viable starter, but can he become a playmaker if iron-man Okereke doesn’t play every defensive snap again?
D.J. Davidson (DT, fifth)
A once hard-to-crack rotation is not the same without the departed Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson.
Yet Davidson still is down the depth chart after 20 career games despite having an extra year on fellow late-round pick Jordon Riley and a better pedigree than the undrafted Ryder Anderson.
Marcus McKethan (G, sixth)
McKethan returned from missing his entire rookie season (torn ACL) to make five starts.
The addition of five veteran interior offensive linemen in free agency said plenty about the Giants’ plans for McKethan.
Darrian Beavers (LB, seventh)
Other backup linebackers (Carter Coughlin, Matthew Adams, Darius Muasau) offer greater special teams value than Beavers, who has played two career games and already was cut once.
