New York Giants’ 90-man roster rankings: The roster, from top to bottom

Let’s look at the New York Giants’ roster from top to bottom as we begin training camp. I have ranked each player from top to bottom considering factors like talent, importance to the team, likelihood of making the team and expected role.

The rankings are fairly loose, particularly in the middle (sort of like a lot of middle-aged men). There are also comments on each player the Giants will bring to training camp.

New York Giants 2025 90-man roster rankings

1. WR Malik Nabers — He was great as a rookie. How much better can he be with a year of experience and better quarterback play?
2. DT Dexter Lawrence — The best defensive tackle in football. Last year, when he was out of games to rest the difference was immense. This year, Dex has better friends around him.
3. OT Andrew Thomas — As often as we have talked about how important Thomas’s health is to the Giants, I can’t put the star left tackle any lower.
4. Edge Brian Burns — Because his sack numbers aren’t prodigious I am not sure Giants fans understand how good Burns is, how much time he spent playing hurt a year ago, and how much of a leader he became in the locker room last year in his first season with the Giants.
5. QB Russell Wilson — I don’t know if Russ will cook, of if he’s cooked. He is the starting quarterback, though, and I can’t put him any lower than this.
6. CB Paulson Adebo — The Giants are paying Adebo to be a No. 1 cornerback. They need him to be. That makes him a very important Giant.
7. Edge Abdul Carter — With the hype and expectations surrounding the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, you could argue Carter belongs higher on this list. He might be there by season’s end.
8. Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux — The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft catches a lot of grief because he has not been a superstar. As Chris Pflum wrote during the offseason, Thibodeaux is better than you think.
9. WR Darius Slayton — I am still stunned that Slayton returned to the Giants this offseason. He is an under-appreciated player, victimized by the mess the Giants’ offense has been during much of his career.
10. S Jevon Holland — The former Dolphins safety needs to rebound from what was not a great year with Miami in 2024.
11. RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. — As a rookie, Tracy had 1,123 total yards from scrimmage despite barely playing until Week 5. There is potential for Cam Skattebo to play a fair amount, but if Tracy can solve his ball-security issues he can have a big year.
12. CB Dru Phillips — A year ago, I wondered why the Giants used a third-round pick on a solot cornerback when they needed an outside cornerback. Now I know.
13. LB Bobby Okereke — The Giants’ defensive signal-caller did not have a great 2024 season. There were offseason whispers that not everyone in the organization is an Okereke fan. Could the Giants pull a stunner and cut him? Maybe. Okereke was MIA during the final few spring practices, raising speculation about a recurrence of the back issues that sidelined him a year ago. The best thing for the Giants would be a healthy Okereke playing like he did in 2023.
14. LB Micah McFadden — McFadden has gotten better and better. I wonder, though, if the presence of Carter is going to cut into McFadden’s playing time.
15. OT Jermaine Eluemunor — Eluemunor was as good at right tackle last season as he has ever been. Can he match that? He is in the final year of his two-year contract. Is there an extension on the horizon?
16. C John Michael Schmitz — We have said it again and again, but Schmitz needs to take another step forward in 2025.
17. G Jon Runyan Jr. — Played through a separated shoulder last season, and suffered a late-season ankle injury. Despite that, he was OK in his first season with the Giants. Can he be better with two healthy shoulders?
18. WR Wan’Dale Robinson — A guy who had 93 receptions a year ago should not be ranked this low. Robinson, though, has to be more with the ball when he gets it. Also, I have a suspicion the ball might not come his way as often this season.
19. S Tyler Nubin — If Nubin flashes some of the ball-hawking ability had displayed in college, he will rise in the rankings.
20. CB Deonte Banks — A 2023 first-round pick, Banks should be higher on this list. He hasn’t earned it, though.
21. TE Theo Johnson — Despite having undergone Lisfranc surgery toward the end of the season, Johnson was a full participant in practices all spring. That’s a good sign.
22. DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches — Hopefully, “Nacho” plays fewer snaps than he did in 2024. Until someone takes the job from him, though, I will consider him a starter. The range of outcomes for Nunez-Roches this summer goes from being a starter to being on someone else’s roster.
23. G Greg Van Roten — The lowest-ranked starter, and a guy whose job might be in the most jeopardy.
24. QB Jaxson Dart — The rookie quarterback gets the highest spot on the list of any player I don’t expect to start Week 1. I do expect Dart to start eventually.
25. P Jamie Gillan — The Scottish Hammer has become a consistent, reliable punter. His Yards Per Punt average (43.7) was a career-low last year, but I don’t think he was ever fully healthy after missing four games with a left hamstring strain.
26. PK Graham Gano — Gano may never have the long-distance acumen he once did, but the Giants need him to stay healthy and make the kicks he is supposed to make.
27. DT Darius Alexander — There is a lot of excitement around the idea that Alexander can be the defensive line running mate Dexter Lawrence needs. We’ll see.
28. RB Cam Skattebo — How big of a role can Skattebo earn in the backfield? His powerful running style is a nice complement to Tyrone Tracy, and he can be a pass-catching weapon.
29. CB Cor’Dale Flott — I am not buying that Flott will take Banks’ starting job. In a league where you can never have enough good cornerbacks, though, Flott is a nice fourth cornerback. He turns 24 this August, and still has upside. That is the great thing about drafting players when they are very young. This is already Flott’s fourth season.
30. LS Casey Kreiter — You know you have a quality long-snapper when you never think about him. Kreiter is a quality long-snapper.
31. DL Roy Robertson-Harris — Defensive line coach Andre Patterson has wanted to get his mitts on Robertson-Harris ever since Robertson-Harris broke into the NFL in 2017. Entering ninth year, Robertson-Harris has always been a solid player. Patterson thinks he could be more.
32. DL Chauncey Golston — The Giants signed Golston away from the Dallas Cowboys to be a versatile piece along the edge and the defensive line. Then, they drafted Carter. Golston is a good player, and he should find a useful role.
33. WR Jalin Hyatt — Will Hyatt’s production ever match the hype? This might be his last chance with the Giants.
34. G Evan Neal — The fourth-year offensive lineman will rise on this list if he takes a job away from Greg Van Roten. I wouldn’t count on that, though. We still have not seen Neal work with pads on from the guard spot.
35. TE Chris Manhertz — GM Joe Schoen wants a veteran leader in every position group. Manhertz provides that at tight end. Oh, and he is good at his very under-appreciated job.
36. DL Elijah Chatman — Last season’s Cinderella story is going to have to fight to keep his roster spot on a much-improved defensive line.
37. TE Daniel Bellinger — The guess here is that the clock is ticking on Bellinger’s time with the Giants. This is the last year of his rookie contract, and he can’t be thrilled with becoming an afterthought the past two seasons after a promising rookie year. He might look for greener pastures after 2025. Could the Giants move on from Bellinger this summer? I hope not, but don’t be shocked if Bellinger, with a $3.6 million cap hit thanks to proven performance escalators, is asked to take a pay cut. That’s a lot of money to pay a third tight end when potential replacements (like seventh-round pick Thomas Fidone and veteran Greg Dulcich are already on the 90-man roster.
38. S Dane Belton — Belton had a nice spring. Will it translate into him being anything more than a decent third safety?
39. LB Darius Muasau — The Giants told us they thought he was a good player when they drafted him in the sixth round a year ago. He appears to be just that. Maybe he gets a real defensive opportunity if the Giants have actually soured on Okereke, or if Okereke’s back acts up again.
40. CB Tre Hawkins — Hawkins unexpectedly earned a starting job after being a sixth-round pick in 2023. It didn’t go well. In limited opportunities last year before being injured, Hawkins showed flashes of being a useful player. It is still possible there is something there.
41. OT James Hudson — After two years of not really having a backup tackle plan, Hudson is now the plan for the Giants in that role. If they need him, will he be good enough?
42. QB Jameis Winston — It was hard to figure out where to put Winston on this list. If the Giants were going to draft a quarterback I would have been OK with signing Winston and passing on Wilson. I know where Winston fits into the quarterback picture in 2026 — as Dart’s backup. In 2025, he will begin as the No. 2 QB. Whether he gets bypassed the way Drew Lock did last year when and if a replacement quarterback is needed remains to be seen.
43. OT Marcus Mbow — The Giants used Mbow at tackle during the spring, but believe he has five-position versatility. Whether the fifth-round pick is actually ready to contribute anywhere along the line as a rookie remains to be seen.
44. WR/KR Ihmir Smith-Marsette — I don’t know if it is because they undervalue the position’s importance, but the Giants annually seem to struggle to find a trustworthy, explosive return man. For their sake, and Smith-Marsette’s, I hope they value what he brings to the table.
45. RB Devin Singletary — Hard to believe Singletary is this far down the list. But, he enters training camp as the third wheel at running back.
46. G Jake Kubas — The Giants like the former undrafted free agent, and spent the 2024 season training him at both guard and tackle. I think he gets another year as a backup to continue that development.
47. G Aaron Stinnie — A capable backup guard, Stinnie will begin training camp sitting firmly on the roster bubble.
48. OLB Chris Board — I thought Board was an excellent, under-the-radar signing. An excellent special teams player, he was a captain for the Baltimore Ravens a year ago. He brings leadership, a winning pedigree and usefulness as a reserve linebacker.
49. DT Jeremiah Ledbetter — As of now, I think the veteran Ledbetter makes the 53-man roster. He might lose that job to D.J. Davidson, though.
50. DT D.J. Davidson — See what I just wrote.
51. WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton — His calling card is special teams, but he has competition from veteran Zach Pascal and undrafted free agent rookie Dalen Cambre to keep that role.
52. OL Josh Ezeudu — I feel bad for Ezeudu. The Giants have bounced him from side to side, and from guard to tackle (where he should never have been) during his three NFL seasons. Now, he could easily get bounced off the roster. Nice kid, but how the Giants figured that a player who could not win a starting guard job could play left tackle I will never know.
53. RB Eric Gray — Skattebo’s presence, and Gray’s lack of production in his two seasons, seem to make it unlikely Gray keeps his roster spot. Unless, that is, the Giants decide to move on from Singletary.
54. LB Dyontae Johnson — After a terrific training camp last season, an ankle injury cost Johnson his opportunity. Now, that opportunity might not come again. Unfortunately, that’s just how the NFL works.
55. LB Ty Summers — Summers is a solid, veteran special teamer and emergency linebacker. He will have to scrap for a roster spot, though, because Board appears to have been a better one in that exact role.
56. DT Jordon Riley — The Giants surprised many when they selected him in the seventh round in 2023. They have invested two seasons in trying to develop him, and Riley has not given them much production in his limited opportunities. With the depth the Giants have added, I don’t see him making the 53-man roster. Perhaps they keep him on the practice squad to continue working with him.
57. QB Tommy DeVito — Unless there is an injury, I don’t see a path for DeVito to make the roster.
58. OLB Tomon Fox — A former undrafted free agent, Fox has been a little-used backup edge defender for the Giants the past two seasons. With Carter and Golston, there may no longer be room for him.
59. TE Thomas Fidone — “Tommy Tatz” was a seventh-round pick. Can he either knock Bellinger off the roster or play well enough to force the Giants to keep four tight ends?
60. CB Korie Black — The rookie seventh-round pick seems like a developmental. If he doesn’t crack the roster, the Giants will likely try to stash him on the practice squad.
61. LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles — He is a backup linebacker and special teamer. Unfortunately for him, that description also fits Board and Summers.
62. WR Zach Pascal — A seven-year veteran, Pascal had some good years with the Indianapolis Colts while Giants’ wide receivers coach Mike Groh was in that role with the Colts. He had just four catches with the Cardinals in 2023 and none last year, however. At this point, the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is almost exclusively a special teams player, and that makes him a threat to Bryce Ford-Wheaton.
63. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey — The 6-foot-4, 225-pound six-year veteran caught a career-high 31 passes for the Denver Broncos in 2024. He has played just 76 career snaps on special teams, though, which clouds his chance to make the roster. The Giants have already cut him once.
64. S Raheem Layne — Knee injuries (a torn ACL with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 and a torn meniscus with the Giants last season) have derailed Layne. If he is healthy, he could challenge for the final backup safety spot.
65. DE Elijah Garcia — The 27-year-old did some good things in an end of season audition for the Giants last season, but with the added depth on the line the practice squad seems like his best outcome.
66. TE Greg Dulcich — The former Denver Broncos tight end has a fan in Russell Wilson. He has a long climb, though, to make the roster.
67. PK Jude McAtamney — He has a stronger leg than Gano, but he isn’t taking Gano’s job.
68. C Austin Schlottmann — Schlottmann has 68 games of NFL experience (14 starts). His path to the roster might depend on whether Neal wins a starting guard job, which would likely relegate Van Roten to a swing center/guard role.
69. DT Cory Durden — The Giants signed Durden off the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad near the end of last season, and he played in four games. He seems more like a practice squad candidate than a real competitor for a 53-man roster spot.
70. S Anthony Johnson — He might be the favorite for the fourth safety spot after being active in nine games last season. His situation is unclear, though, after he did not practice all spring with what was believed to be a shoulder injury.
71. DE Victor Dimukeje — Signed as edge depth after the Giants lost Azeez Ojulari in free agency, the four-year veteran missed spring practices with a pectoral injury. That may end up costing him a chance to make the roster.
72. CB Art Green — Green was active for nine games last season, but seems like a longshot to stick around this time.
73. OT Stone Forsythe — The 6-foot-8, 307-pound 27-year-old has 53 games and 14 starts worth of NFL experience as a swing tackle. James Hudson seems like a better option for that spot, though, and Forsythe spent a lot of time this spring with the second and third units.
74. RB Dante Miller — Maybe Miller’s speed gets him another look this summer. If he doesn’t make the roster, might the Giants prefer to keep Gray on the practice squad because of his experience?
75. C Jimmy Morrissey — Has 10 games of NFL experience with the Houston Texans. He was on the Giants’ practice squad last season until going on IR. He could be destined for the practice squad again.
76. C Bryan Hudson — Hudson spent part of last season on the practice squad. That would seem to be the best possible outcome for him this season, as well.
77. CB Dee Williams — The Giants claimed Williams off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks late last season. He has return experience, but ball security cost him his job in Seattle. I don’t know if he has a chance to make the roster unless he unseats Smith-Marsette as the returner.
78. CB Nic Jones — It can’t be a bad idea to bring in a 23-year-old player from the Kansas City Chiefs who learned from former Giants coaches Steve Spaguono (defensive coordinator) and Dave Merritt (defensive backs). Jones played in 10 games for the Chiefs the past two seasons after being drafted in the seventh round in 2023. Could he surprise and challenge for a spot as a backup cornerback?
79. WR Montrell Washington — He is an extreme longshot at wide receiver. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder did play 217 special teams snaps for the Denver Broncos in 2022, however, so he has that experience. He has five receptions in 22 career games for the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
80. S Makari Paige — I know the Giants’ first three safeties with be Holland, Nubin and Belton. I don’t know who the fourth one will be. Paige, a UDFA out of Michigan, has an opportunity to steal that roster spot.
81. WR Da’Quan Felton — At 6-foot-5, 216 pounds, Felton offers intriguing size. He had some nice catches in the spring.
82. WR Beaux Collins — The former Notre Dame wide receiver was getting first-team reps with most of the veteran receivers sitting out or getting limited reps in mandatory minicamp.
83. WR Dalen Cambre — An All-American special teamer for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, Cambre kept making himself noticed as a receiver during the spring even though he caught just 10 passes in 63 collegiate games. Can he make the roster as a special teams player and emergency wide receiver? Maybe.
84. Edge Trace Ford — He’s intriguing, but probably headed to the practice squad.
85. WR Juice Wells — Maybe the Giants really do see him as a player who could make it in the NFL. Maybe he is only on the roster as a security blanket for Jaxson Dart, since they were teammates at Ole Miss. Either way, Wells did not do much to impress during the spring.
86. WR Jordan Bly — In a large group of undrafted free agent rookie wide receivers, Bly did not do anything to stand out in the spring.
87. CB O’Donnell Fortune — A ball-hawking cornerback who could be headed to the practice squad as an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina.
88. RB Rushawn Baker — A small school back from Elon who does not appear to have much of a chance in a crowded backfield.
89. TE Jermaine Terry — An undrafted free agent from Oregon State, sneaking onto the practice squad is likely his best outcome.
90. OL Jaison Williams — An undrafted free agent out of Youngstown State, he didn’t see the field very often during spring workouts. He was wearing a knee brace. Maybe that was related to an injury. Regardless, his chances of sticking around don’t seem great.
91. CB T.J. Moore – Last undrafted rookie free agent to be signed, last man on the roster. Can he climb the ranks and stick around around?