The New York Giants might just have struck gold in the 2025 NFL Draft - and the rest of the league is starting to take notice.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and edge rusher Abdul Carter have both been named finalists for the AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, respectively. That’s not just a feather in the cap for the Giants' front office - it’s a signal that the franchise may have found its cornerstones on both sides of the ball.
Let’s start with Dart, who wasn’t even the starter when the season kicked off. But by Week 4, he was under center against the Los Angeles Chargers, and from that moment on, he didn’t look back.
Dart sparked an upset win in his debut, then followed it up with a nationally televised stunner over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. That’s not easing into the NFL - that’s kicking the door down.
By season’s end, Dart had racked up 24 total touchdowns to just six turnovers - five picks and a single lost fumble. But it wasn’t just the raw numbers that impressed.
Dart’s nine rushing touchdowns were second only to Cam Newton among rookie quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. That’s rare air.
Efficiency-wise, Dart led all rookie quarterbacks in the league, finishing 15th among qualifying QBs in the EPA+CPOE composite - a metric that blends expected points added with completion percentage over expected. That put him well ahead of fellow rookies Tyler Shough (22nd) and Cam Ward (33rd). For a guy who started the year on the bench, Dart’s rise was both rapid and remarkable.
Then there’s Abdul Carter - a player who didn’t have the smoothest rookie campaign, but whose upside became undeniable as the season wore on.
Carter came into the league with high expectations and wasted no time flashing his potential. Even though he didn’t record his first full sack until Week 13 against the Patriots, he was consistently disruptive.
He finished eighth among all pass rushers in total pressures with 66 and led the NFL with 44 quick pressures - those that come in 2.5 seconds or less. That kind of burst is elite.
When it comes to Pass Rush Win Rate - a stat that measures how often a defender beats his blocker within 2.5 seconds - Carter ranked sixth in the league, sandwiched between Will Anderson Jr. and Myles Garrett. That’s a serious endorsement of his impact. He also led all pass rushers with an average time to pressure of just 2.41 seconds - blink-and-you-miss-it speed off the edge.
Carter’s season wasn’t without its bumps. He was benched twice by interim head coach Mike Kafka, but to his credit, he responded.
Over the final four games, Carter turned flashes into full-on production: six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. It was the kind of stretch that reminded everyone why he was so highly regarded coming out of college.
If both Dart and Carter take home Rookie of the Year honors, they’d become just the fifth pair of teammates to sweep the awards on both sides of the ball - a rare feat, and one that would validate the Giants’ 2025 draft class as one of the most impactful in recent memory.
The winners will be announced at the NFL Honors on February 5th. But no matter the outcome, the Giants have every reason to believe their rebuild is on the right track - and it’s being led by two rookies who are already playing like veterans.
Defensive Rookie of the Year Finalists:
- Abdul Carter (EDGE, New York Giants)
- Nick Emmanwori (S, Seattle Seahawks)
- James Pearce Jr.
(EDGE, Atlanta Falcons)
- Carson Schwesinger (LB, Cleveland Browns)
- Xavier Watts (S, Atlanta Falcons)