New York Giants depth chart updated after 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 Giants are going to be different, but will they be better?

With the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, the major part of the roster-building season has concluded. What does the New York Giants roster look like. Let’s peruse a very unofficial depth chart to see.

Here GM Joe Schoen’s assessment after the draft:

“I think where we are right now, coming into the off-season, between what we did in free agency, the draft today, the trade for Brian Burns. Again, we always have room to grow and always have room to improve. I say it all the time, we don’t play until September, so there’s still time between now and September where we can acquire players, the final cutdown, whatever it may be.

“I like the group that we have right now. Excited to get the rookies in here, assimilate them into our culture, get on the grass, practice and then as we observe and evaluate the players as we’re going through it, if we still have needs, there will probably be some vets that will be released over the next couple weeks, as well. There’s always going to be a time and a place where you can add some more players. We’ll see where we are now, and as we go through the competition period and training camp, if there are other areas we need to fill, we’ll try to do that.”

A couple of notes. Tight end Darren Waller is included. He seems likely to retire, but he is on the roster until he’s not. Undrafted free agent rookies are also not included.

The first name on that chart — No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers — should be a difference-maker.

There has been some concern over the Giants not selecting any offensive linemen in the draft. If that had happened, it likely would have been a developmental Day 3 player and not someone expected to contribute immediately.

The Giants signed five offensive linemen in free agency with double-digit starts in the NFL — Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, Aaron Stinnie, Austin Schlottman and Matt Nelson. They still have Josh Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan on rookie contracts. Center John Michael Schmitz should improve in his second NFL season. If healthy, Andrew Thomas is a top five left tackle.

New offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo had success with the Las Vegas Raiders with this type of offensive line, one filled largely with unheralded players. With what the Giants have, the line should at least be functional. That would be a massive improvement.

The secondary was a question mark entering the draft, and the Giants fortified it with the selections of safety Tyler Nubin in Round 2 and cornerback Andru Phillips in Round 3. Phillips has an appealing skill set, but his selection was a bit curious. Schoen admitted that Phillips largely duplicates the skill set of Cor’Dale Flott, a slot-first player with outside flexibility.

The true need at cornerback was on the outside. We will see how the Giants fill the starting spot opposite Tae Banks.

I always caution that every need simply can’t be addressed in an offseason. There are limited resources both financially and it terms of number of draft picks. I was, though, surprised that the Giants did not add to the defensive line in the draft.

Leonard Williams was sent to the Seattle Seahawks at the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline. A’Shawn Robinson, a quality veteran run defender who played 46% of the defensive snaps for the Giants last season, left in free agency.

The Giants will count on improvement from third-year man D.J. Davidson and second-year man Jordon Riley. There are always a handful of experienced defensive linemen available later in the summer and when roster cuts are made at the end of the preseason. Maybe the Giants will address the position at some point before the 2024 season starts.

The most interesting thing about special teams is how new coordinator Michael Ghobrial will handle the revised kickoff rules. Fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy, who averaged 25.5 yards on 16 returns for Purdue last season, might play a role there.

Final thoughts

The Giants added some good players in the draft. Nabers and Nubin should be immediate starters and key contributors. The other four players should find roles, at least on special teams. They added some good players throughout the offseason. The additions of Brian Burns on defense ad starting offensive linemen in Runyan and Eluemunor should help.

The Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders also got better, at least on paper. So, whether the Giants will win more than the six games they won last season remains to be seen.

There are plenty of question marks. The biggest one is what kind of quarterback play will the Giants get? If they get 2022 or better Daniel Jones quarterback isn’t an issue. If they get 2023 Jones, or if he suffers another neck injury, they are probably back to square one.

How does the offense adjust to the loss of Saquon Barkley? Will the revamped offensive line be good enough? How does the defense adjust to the scheme of new coordinator Shane Bowen?

There are a lot of exciting new pieces, and some changes yet to come. Let’s see how it all comes together.