The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books.
While the New York Giants didn’t find a new face of the franchise at quarterback, they did address many needs with their six picks, including landing a true No. 1 receiver in first-round pick Malik Nabers. They followed up that pick with key additions to the secondary in safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Andru Phillips on Day 2 before selecting some intriguing special teams talents on Day 3.
“I like where we ended up this weekend,” general manager Joe Schoen said Saturday. “I feel like we’re in a good spot after the draft.”
Time will determine just how well they did, but for the time being, there’s plenty of reason for hope if you’re a Giants fan.
The picks
| Round | Pick | Name | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
6 |
Malik Nabers |
WR |
LSU |
|
2 |
47 |
Tyler Nubin |
S |
Minnesota |
|
3 |
70 |
Andru Phillips |
CB |
Kentucky |
|
4 |
107 |
Theo Johnson |
TE |
Penn State |
|
5 |
166 |
Tyrone Tracy Jr. |
RB |
Purdue |
|
6 |
183 |
Darius Muasau |
LB |
UCLA |
GO DEEPER
New York Giants NFL Draft picks 2024: Grades, fits and scouting reports
Best pick
It’s got to be Malik Nabers, who will immediately inject some explosiveness into a Giants offense that desperately needed it.
Nabers, who hasn’t even turned 21 yet, put together impressive seasons at LSU, playing both outside and in the slot. Despite the legendary names who have played wide receiver in Baton Rouge, Nabers finished his career with the program records in both catches (189) and receiving yards (3,003). His dynamic athleticism lends itself to eye-popping separation early or late in routes.
“It’s just second nature, me being an athlete, me being a dog,” Nabers said of his separation abilities. “Just going out there and always being that person a quarterback can rely on, giving the ball to, having that confidence in myself and the quarterback. When the ball is in the quarterback’s hands, Malik is going to be open.”
His combination of confidence and potential hasn’t been seen in a New York Giants wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. Nabers should be adored by both Giants fans and quarterback Daniel Jones.
Coming this season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RLCvD31adV
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 26, 2024
Pick who will make biggest immediate impact
All due respect to Nubin and Phillips, but it’s Nabers. There will be high expectations placed on him to lead the wide receiver room and immediately become Jones’ go-to guy.
“He’s a heck of a player,” coach Brian Daboll said. “He was a fun guy to evaluate. Like Joe (Schoen) talked about, he’s got quickness, explosiveness, good run after the catch. He’s got a great mindset in terms of the competitive style he plays with. Played well in big games.”
The Giants tallied the second-fewest receiving yards (3,351) in the NFL last season, in part because of poor quarterback play, but also because the pass-catching group lacked a talent like Nabers. He should quickly usurp last year’s target leader, Darius Slayton, to become the featured wide receiver in the offense.
Biggest surprise
The Giants didn’t do anything too surprising. There were no dramatic trades up or down. They didn’t dip into next year’s pool of picks. They were responsible, addressing their biggest needs throughout the draft. They targeted secondary upgrades on Day 2 and with their Day 3 picks, added some offensive depth. It was all pretty routine.
If we’ve got to choose one surprise, however, it’s probably simply that the Giants didn’t make any trades. “Trader” Joe Schoen was active in his first two drafts, and he’s been active during free agency. We know there were conversations to move up to No. 3 to potentially select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, and we know Schoen fielded calls from teams interested in moving up to the No. 6 pick. Neither panned out.
Oddly, there were no moves on Day 2 or Day 3 either, leaving the Giants to make the six picks they entered the draft with.
Biggest question mark
What now at quarterback? The Giants couldn’t move up for Maye and elected not to draft Penix, J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix at No. 6.
“That’s where we are,” Schoen said Saturday, reiterating Jones would be their starter this season. “That’s what we’re going to move forward with this season. Daniel is still under contract for three more years. So as it sits today, that’s where we are.”
GO DEEPER
Daniel Jones getting one more chance, as Giants draft Malik Nabers after failing to trade up for QB
But what if Jones suffers through another down season and confirms that he isn’t the long-term answer at QB? That’s the question that’s going to hang over this team all year long — much like it did throughout this offseason.
The 2025 quarterback draft class isn’t projected to be strong, but it’s still way too early to know that for sure. And even if a franchise-caliber QB is in that draft, there’s no guarantee the Giants will be in a position to pick him.
The Giants could pursue a free agent or even a trade. Or maybe this concept will be completely obsolete by October if Jones returns healthy and excels. That, of course, would be the best-case scenario for the Giants — to finally get the production they expected after handing him a contract extension last offseason. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Remaining needs
Outside of quarterback, the Giants weren’t going to be able to fill every need with just six picks. Coming out of the draft, the most glaring need is some defensive line depth. The line has thinned considerably since last year at this time. Even after adding 31-year-old Jordan Phillips in free agency, the Giants need some more quality players behind Dexter Lawrence and Rakeem Nunez-Roches — especially if Jordon Riley and D.J. Davidson don’t develop this season.
Another area that wasn’t touched in this draft was offensive line depth. That’s, in part, because the Giants heavily targeted the position group during free agency, signing Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan Jr. But as last season showed, it’s not a bad thing to have too much offensive line depth, and it’s a position that just wasn’t addressed during the draft.
Cornerback is another position that deserves mention here. While the Giants added Phillips, it’s not yet clear if he’s the future outside starter opposite Deonte Banks. The Giants believe he can play both inside and outside, but he’ll begin in the slot. He’ll likely compete with Cor’Dale Flott for snaps there, but it’s possible they could both share the field with one moving outside. Still, that position feels unsettled despite the addition of Phillips.
Ready for this @AndruPhillips 😤 pic.twitter.com/7CORGbKiNz
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2024
Post-draft outlook
Again, the quarterback position will be under the microscope until it is settled — either by Jones or someone else.
Outside of quarterback, the Giants have done a good job of improving their roster during free agency and the draft. They have a young, promising defensive core and an offense that has a chance of getting back to at least league average after all of the additions they’ve made.
“We still have work to do,” Schoen said. “I think where we are with some of the contract statuses … (we) can keep a core group together over a two- to three-year window. And then you have another offseason, another draft and you look up, and it’s some really good pieces on the table.”
(Photos of Nubin, Nabers and Johnson: David Berding, Todd Rosenberg and Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)