The New York Giants are heading toward training camp with one of the NFL’s strongest collections of young talent, and ESPN’s Aaron Schatz has them ranked ninth in the league in talent under the age of 25.
That kind of placement fits the way the roster is starting to look. The Giants have been young for a while, but the age picture used to be softened by veterans such as Graham Gano, Russell Wilson and Greg Van Roten. With those older names fading from the mix, the youth movement is much easier to see.
Schatz’s breakdown puts the Giants’ under-25 core in sharp focus:
Last year’s rank: 4
Blue chips: Edge Abdul Carter, QB Jaxson Dart, OT Francis Mauigoa, WR Malik Nabers, LB Arvell Reese
Notable graduated players: S Tyler Nubin, Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux
That group is loaded at the top. The Giants have five recent first-round picks in the blue-chip tier, and the age spread is striking: Reese is 20, Mauigoa is 21, Carter is 22, while Dart and Nabers are both 23.
There’s more young talent beyond that headline group, too. Running back Cam Skattebo is 24, cornerback Colton Hood is 21, and nickelback Dru Phillips is 24. The Giants may even have more young pieces than Schatz’s list captures.
WR Malachi Fields is 22 years old and has the potential to be a go-to target in the endzone.
Rookie LB Jack Kelly is 23, and has the chance to become a regular contributor on defense as well as special teams.
If kicker Dominic Zvada returns to his 2024 form and proves to be a good NFL kicker, he could win the placekicking job. Zvada is 22 year.
Longsnapper Ben Mann could likewise be a long-term answer for the special teams and is 24.
The Giants are the only team in the NFL with more than four “Blue Chip” players under the age of 24. If those players develop into real contributors, half of the roster’s starters or regulars could be 24 or younger.
And the young group doesn’t stop there. Players such as TE Theo Johnson, DL Darius Alexander and Bobby Jamison-Travis, and CB Deonte Banks are all 25, as are Kayvon Thibodeaux and Tyler Nubin. TE Isaiah Likely, S Jevon Holland, RB Tyrone Tracy, CB Greg Newsome II, S Ar’Darius Washington and LB Micah McFadden are all 26.
The Giants also stand out inside the NFC East. They were the only team in the division to land in the top half of the league’s under-25 talent rankings. The Philadelphia Eagles came in 18th, the Dallas Cowboys were 24th, and the Washington Commanders were 25th.
For the Giants, youth has not always been an advantage. In past seasons, inexperience and mistakes hurt them, and the coaching staffs around those players did not get enough out of the talent. This time, though, the setup could be different.
If the Giants improve their player development, a roster that could be built around so many players 26 or younger might give them a chance to stay competitive for a long time. Player development has been the Giants’ Achilles heel over the last decade and a half. However, if John Harbaugh can bring stability and an environment in which young players can reach their ceilings, the Giants’ youth could be one of their greatest strengths.
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