The New York Giants had a grand total of zero All-Pro’s and zero Pro Bowlers in 2019, but they did have four rookies land on Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 50 Rookies of 2019.
Checking in with the highest Giants rookie grade was defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (76.1), who had a stellar debut campaign.
9. DI DEXTER LAWRENCE, NEW YORK GIANTS
Lawrence slowed down the stretch, but his hot start lands him at No. 9 in PFF’s rookie rankings, as he still ranks 20th in PFF overall grade among all at his position. His pass-rushing could still use some work — he managed just 30 total pressures on 412 pass-rushing snaps and finished the year tied for 43rd among interior defenders in pass-rush win rate (9.6%) — but the return on investment has still been higher than anticipated for the 17th overall pick.
Next up may come as a bit of a surprise based on order, but not necessarily the appearance itself. That’s because for anyone watching, safety Julian Love (70.5) played some legitimate quality football once his defensive snap count increased.
13. S JULIAN LOVE, NEW YORK GIANTS
After playing mostly out wide at Notre Dame, the Giants had Love move into the box and in the slot, and over the last six weeks, Love earned the ninth-best PFF grade in the box and allowed just 19 yards on his 80 coverage snaps at that alignment.
Wide receiver Darius Slayton (70.3) checked in slightly after Love. And again, this came as no surprise to Giants fans, who watched the rookie establish himself as a legitimate offensive weapon for Big Blue.
22. WR DARIUS SLAYTON, NEW YORK GIANTS
Former Auburn Tiger Darius Slayton produced numerous highlight-reel plays in 2019 and picked up seven receptions that resulted in a gain of at least 30 yards — tied for the 16th-most in the league. Slayton ended the year with a 70.5 receiving grade that currently ranks sixth among rookie players at the position.
And finally… Quarterback Danny Dimes himself, Mr. Daniel Jones (65.7), checking in pretty far down the list.
34. QB DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS
Daniel Jones has pretty much been as expected at the NFL level — he produced an average rate of positive plays but put the ball in harm’s way at an alarming rate. The sixth overall pick’s turnover worthy-play rate on the year ranks second to last among all quarterbacks, one spot worse than the perennially turnover-prone Jameis Winston. Most of those turnover-worthy plays stemmed from his recurring fumbling issue, though, as he fumbled in 10 of his 13 game appearances this season. His 17 fumbles on the year is the most in the NFL.
Jones, who set countless rookie records on both the franchise and NFL level, was just “average,” says PFF. That was, of course, hardly expected or anticipated as most assumed Jones would completely bomb out and not be in the running for the Offensive Rookies of the Year Award.
PFF was better in 2019, but their take on Jones continues to prove how flawed their analytics are.
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