While the New York Giants and their fan base can’t wait to see how receiver Malik Nabers and tight end Theo Johnson affect the team’s passing offense, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus has already weighed in on the matter.
Sikkema ranked all 32 NFL receiving units, placing the Giants at No. 28, perhaps because Nabers, Johnson, and running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr., who will also lend his prowess to the passing game when called upon, are unproven at the NFL level.
"The Giants’ receiver room will go as rookie Malik Nabers goes,” Sikkema said. “If he is a star, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt could all look like great complementary pieces.”
Wait, there is more.
"After Darren Waller‘s retirement, Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson are the main options at tight end. Subbing out the pass-catching abilities of Saquon Barkley for Devin Singletary is a downgrade, as Singletary hasn’t brought much in the receiving game in his career," Sikkema concluded.
With respect to Sikkema, this ranking is ridiculous. While Nabers has yet to play in a game, his presence alone lifts the entire receiving core.
They've had a solid surrounding cast with Robinson, Hyatt, Slayton, and Nabers, if he delivers the production he contributed at LSU, will make what was already a solid receiving corps that much better.
As for the tight end room, we can see the reason for concern, as Waller was leading all the Giants' tight ends in receiving before getting injured last season.
Relying on Johnson, a rookie, to split most of the main snaps with Bellinger is a big ask. However, Bellinger was a solid receiving option during his rookie season and could reprise that role in 2024.
As for the running backs, Sikemma is selling Devin Singletary way short. While he is not a high-volume back in the way that Barkley was, he’s been better than Barkley as a receiver, as evidenced by his career 75.8 percent catch rate (compared to Barkley’s 72.7 percent) and his 45.9 percent success rate (versus Barkley’s 38.1 percent) in picking up 40 percent of the required first down yardage, 60 percent of the second down yardage and 100 percent of third and fourth down.
Besides that, there is a good chance that the Giants will lean more on Tracy as a receiver out of the backfield rather than Singletary since Tracy is a former wide receiver.
Of course, none of this matters if the quarterback can’t put the ball into the hands of the pass catchers, but on paper, at least, to suggest the Giants pass catchers are at the bottom of the barrel for the reasons stated just isn’t a solid analysis.
We’ve mentioned the rookies, but it is also worth noting that some of the returning veterans are likely to make a difference, such as Robinson, who is entering his third season and led the team with 60 catches last year.
Slayton is coming off of his fourth 700+ yard season in five years, having finished as the team leader in receiving yards.
And while Hyatt didn't have the rookie year many expected because he was still acclimating from a limited role at Tennessee to the Giants’ more sophisticated passing scheme, he is in line for a bigger role this year as well.
In short, there is a lot to like about the Giants' receiving room. They just need to show it on the field.
