The New York Giants’ Revamped Wide Receiver Room
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Since the departure of Odell Beckham Jr. back in 2019, the New York Giants’ have had, what many consider to be, the worst receiving group in the NFL. With names such as Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate III, and Darius Slayton headlining the team’s depth charts over the past five seasons, it’s easy to see why. However, with new additions this offseason, and a few hopeful breakout candidates, the wide receiver position might be one of the Giants’ brightest spots this upcoming season.
New York’s obvious number one wide receiver this year is going to be none other than rookie Malik Nabers. The Giants’ could’ve gone any direction at pick number six of this year’s NFL draft, while a lot of people were speculating that they would trade up for a quarterback. Instead, they decided to stay at their draft position and took the best wide receiver possible in Nabers, who was an absolute standout prospect during his final year at Louisiana State. His 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns were enough to make him a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the best wide receiver in college football.
While his college numbers do more than enough talking, the Giants’ hope is that he can be an immediate game changer for the team. Nabers is able to run every route in the route tree, and can line up in any spot on the field; whether that be on the outside, slot, or in the backfield. This should be Daniel Jones’ favorite target this year, as the sixth year quarterback has never had a wide receiver who is this good, that he gets to throw the ball to.
With different superstar wide receivers coming out of Louisiana State in the past such as Odell Beckham Jr., Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase, this could be the first 1,000 yard wide receiver that the Giants have had in quite some time.
Right behind Nabers on the depth chart is third year receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson, and sophomore Jalin Hyatt. Both players have been more flash than production up to this point, but having a solidified number one option in Nabers might take the pressure off of these two. Robinson will primarily be lined up in the slot as he is a short yardage receiver, while Hyatt will almost always be on the outside, due to his “big play” ability. In fact, Hyatt average 16.2 yards per catch in his rookie year, while he only caught 23 balls on 40 targets; showing how lethal he is as a deep threat. Combine those numbers, while being just a season removed from winning the Biletnikoff Award after his final year at Tennessee, and Hyatt has the potential to be a breakout player.
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Hyatt’s only flaw is that he is almost exclusively a deep shot receiver, meaning that he has trouble lining up in other places and running different routes in the middle of the field. Pair that with the fact that New York’s quarterbacks don’t have a lot of time to throw the ball down the field, and that makes for a limited number of targets on Hyatt’s end. However, with a “do it all” guy in Nabers running all over, Robinson working in the low areas of the field, and a newly built offensive line, Hyatt should see a lot more targets than what he is used to at this point.
All three guys have the ability to take over a game at the drop of a hat, as seen from Nabers’ college tape, Hyatt against the New England Patriots, and Robinson against the Green Bay Packers. If Robinson can stay healthy for the entirety of the season, as he does have a history of leg injuries, this trio could have a very special year.
While the main three guys are pretty much established in the eyes of New York’s front office and their fans, one name is not being talked about enough; Darius Slayton. Drafted in 2019 with Daniel Jones, Slayton has been one of the most consistent receivers in the league, as he has led the Giants in receiving in four out of the past five seasons. While there is a contract situation happening with Slayton at the moment, he will almost for sure be back with the team for the upcoming season, where he will be competing with Hyatt, for who gets to line up on the outside next to Nabers. He has easily been Jones’ number one guy since they came into the league, so Hyatt’s breakout might be postponed another year unless he beats out Slayton in training camp.
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Wide receiver depth goes even further than the first four names, as Isaiah Hodgins, Allen Robinson II, and Isaiah McKenzie are all veteran players who are looking to make the final roster. Most people remember that Hodgins was maybe the best player on the Giants during the back half of their 2022 playoff season, while Robinson II is a former 1,000 yard receiver on two different teams. There is a strong sense that at least one of these guys will get cut before the start of the regular season, but at the moment they are all more than capable of being serviceable guys for Jones and this offense. Going even deeper into the position, the biggest sleeper inside of the Giants’ receiver room is Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who was signed as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia. If he can replicate what he did in college and in last year’s training camp for the Giants, before he tore his ACL, he will be on New York’s final roster, and can play a very significant role with his speed in the open field.
Nobody knows how good these guys will be until they actually step on the field and start performing, but on paper, the Giants’ receiving core looks lethal. If they play up to the expectations that Giants fans’ are setting for them, Jalin Hyatt’s latest quote might come to fruition.
“We have a playoff team. That’s what we want to do. That’s our focus and we’re gonna get there.”