The New York Giants are looking to bounce back from a forgettable 3-14 season. Despite their record last year, newcomers like Andru (Dru) Phillips and Jermaine Eluemunor made a real difference on the team. The Giants also had some veterans produce, like Wan’Dale Robinson, who had 93 receptions and became a focal point of the offense.
However, with this upcoming season’s grueling schedule and the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, in their division, the New York Giants will need multiple breakout players to become game changers in order to make some noise. But who will step up to the occasion?
Tyler Nubin, Safety
Selected 47th overall in the 2024 draft, the Giants chose Nubin for his ball-hawking ability, having recorded 13 interceptions during his college career. In his rookie year in the NFL, he rarely showed that ability, recording zero interceptions and just one pass breakup. Still, even without showcasing his ball-tracking skills, Nubin showed plenty of other good traits the Giants can work with.
Nubin is already one of the better tackling safeties in the league. He had 98 total tackles last season. Nubin excels at making tackles in the flat and allowing minimal yardage, only having five missed tackles last year. His ability to hit a hole on a run play is sporadic for his age.
Suppose Nubin shows more of his ball-hawk ability this season, forcing multiple turnovers and numerous pass breakups, combined with his already advanced run-stopping and tackling. If that turns out to be the case, he will start to become of the better safeties in the league, and be a much-needed anchor for the Giants’ defensive backfield.
Jalin Hyatt, Wide Receiver
The media paid a lot of attention to Jaylin Hyatt in OTAs this offseason. He supposedly put on over 20 pounds of muscle. Along with his physical transformation, he appeared to develop a strong on-field relationship with the new Giants quarterback, Russell Wilson.
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Hyatt is coming off a minuscule sophomore year of 62 yards and eight catches. Despite his blurring speed, he struggled even to see the field. His second season was a massive disappointment after his promising rookie season, during which he had 373 yards in seven starts.
Hyatt will be seeing a lot of playing time in preseason this year — he’ll likely be the WR1 for the majority of it. Those three games will be pivotal to the rest of his season, especially if he shows a stronger connection with Russell Wilson than another Giants deep threat, Darius Slayton.
Since Wilson has a much better deep ball than any quarterback Hyatt has played with so far, Hyatt will finally get a chance to show his strengths and be a consistent threat.
Micah McFadden, Linebacker
McFadden is the most developed of these breakout candidates, but he still has considerable room for growth. He is already one of the Giants’ better run-stoppers, with eight tackles for loss last season and 107 total tackles. Unfortunately, he is still one of the weakest pass defenders on the defense. He allowed an 83.7% completion percentage and a 114.4 passer rating when targeted last season.
Even with his evident flaws, McFadden has made obvious growth in all aspects of his game during his first three seasons, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop. He will be someone that everyone is looking at in training camp.
Areas McFadden can improve in his game include his tendency to be overly aggressive in the run game at times and in his decision-making when defending the pass. In the run game, although he’s usually good, he occasionally chooses the wrong gap to run through and completely wipes himself out plays. Fortunately, that’s something linebackers improve with time and experience.
McFadden’s major weakness in the pass game is that he frequently makes the wrong decision in zone defense. He often chooses the more aggressive option, whether it’s going after the quarterback when scrambling or the running back in the flat, and as a result, leaves someone wide open in his zone.
If McFadden continues to make leaps and breaks out like everyone expects him to, he and Bobby Okereke will become one of the most dangerous linebacker duos in the league.
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