The Giants didn’t just open the season with a 28-20 win over the Cowboys on Sunday night. They also got a first look at a rookie class that already looks like it could matter right away.
Of the eight rookies on the roster, six saw the field in their NFL debuts, and a few of them wasted no time making a case for bigger roles. There were no shortage of encouraging signs, from a linebacker who looked built for the moment to a lineman who played like he belonged from the jump.
Arvell Reese led the way. The No. 5 overall pick logged a team-high 58 defensive snaps and finished with five tackles, a tackle for loss and a QB hit.
He also allowed just three catches for 20 yards in coverage. For a 21-year-old making his first NFL appearance in primetime against a division rival, it was about as strong a start as the Giants could have hoped for.
Reese helped a defense that limited Dallas to 244 total yards and only 69 on the ground.
Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa may have turned in the most eye-catching debut of the bunch. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound guard played 35-plus snaps without allowing a pressure, becoming the first rookie to do that since 2018.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 46.9 overall grade, but the film told a different story. Mauigoa looked like a player who could settle in quickly at right guard, and he looked every bit the part of the guy the Giants were targeting when they essentially swapped Dexter Lawrence for him in the pre-draft deal with the Bengals.
Malachi Fields also gave the Giants something to build on. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver caught two of his four targets for 25 yards, including a 19-yard catch-and-run that showed off his ability with the ball in his hands.
One of his best plays wasn’t counted as a catch at all, since he was ruled out of bounds on a diving grab that still stood out. Just as important, he showed he’s willing to block, which can help him stay on the field in Harbaugh’s offense.
Jack "Cannonball" Kelly didn’t get any defensive snaps because the starting linebackers never came off the field, but he still found work on special teams. He played 14 snaps across multiple third-phase units and earned an 84.2 overall grade from PFF. The box score stayed empty, but he gave the coaching staff something to notice.
Colton Hood’s night was quieter. He played six defensive snaps in the second half after Greg Newsome II and Deonte Banks briefly left with injuries, then both starters returned and Hood’s chance to make a bigger impact disappeared. He got a C because there just wasn’t much to grade.
Dominic Zvada handled his assignment cleanly. He didn’t get a field-goal attempt, but he did go 4-for-4 on extra points, and that was enough for an A. If he keeps doing that, he could give the Giants real stability at a position that has bounced around for years.
Two rookies, Bobby Jamison-Travis and J.C. Davis, never got the chance to debut at all. Both were inactive before kickoff, so their first NFL action will have to wait at least one more week.
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