Giants’ Best Ever Rookie Seasons

We’re now a month removed from the 2021 NFL Draft, meaning we’ve had plenty of time to mull over the New York Giants’ six-player rookie class. Roles have been theorized and expectations have been preliminarily set for each new Giant. Of course, hopes can’t be raised too high, as first-year players typically struggle as they acclimatize to the NFL game. That’s not to say rookies can never hit the ground running, as Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson‘s 1400-yard maiden campaign from last year can attest.

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The Giants have had their own share of first-year phenoms. They’d be thrilled if one of their current crop of rookies can be another. So, in order to give Big Blue’s 2021 draft class something to aim for, let’s rank the top five rookie seasons in Giants history.

5. WR Hakeem Nicks (2009)

After Plaxico Burress‘ self-inflicted shooting and subsequent imprisonment for illegal firearm possession in 2008, the Giants needed someone to fill his number-one receiver sized shoes. New York took Nicks 29th overall in the 2009 draft, and he quickly proved himself worthy of being Burress’ successor. The North Carolina product racked up 790 yards and six touchdowns in six starts and 14 appearances as a rookie. His 16.8 yards per reception that year immediately established him as the big-play threat he’d be in New York. Nicks didn’t get the playing time to earn any rookie-of-the-year consideration, but he had an outsized impact for the opportunities he did get.

4. TE Jeremy Shockey (2002)

Shockey came with plenty of hype when he was drafted 14th overall out of Miami in 2002. The tight end instantly delivered on his promise, catching 74 balls for 894 yards while being named a First-Team All Pro as a rookie. His physicality and brash style of play quickly made him a fan favorite, and he became a key cog in a Big Blue offense that already featured receiver Amani Toomer and running back Tiki Barber. His best game that year came in the Giants 44-27 blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts, when he made seven catches on eight targets for 116 yards. Shockey lost out on Offensive Rookie of the Year honors to Denver Broncos running back and fellow Miami product Clinton Portis.

3. RB Saquon Barkley (2018)

When the Giants nabbed Barkley second overall in 2018, he was viewed as a truly generational running back prospect. The kind of player that only comes around once a decade or two. The Penn State product’s rookie season did nothing to dispell that idea. Barkley led the NFL with 2028 yards from scrimmage (1307 rushing and 721 receiving) and racked up 15 total touchdowns en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Not only was Barkley’s rookie season astoundingly productive, but it was jawdropping too. He ability to make defenders miss with absurd jukes and hurdles made him must-watch television on a weekly basis.

2. LB Lawrence Taylor (1981)

It should come as no surprise that the greatest Giant of all time was an immediate star in the NFL. Taylor’s rookie season is 1981 came just before the NFL started tracking sacks as an official stat, but unofficially he had 9.5 sacks that year. He was an instant game wrecker from the outside linebacker position. His presence catalyzed a 9-7 record for New York (a five-game improvement from 1980) and a playoff berth. The second overall pick from North Carolina’s rookie year was so great he took home Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Taylor remains the only player in history to earn both awards in the same season.

1. WR Odell Beckham Jr. (2014)

Beckham’s rookie season started off with a whimper rather than a bang. He missed the first four weeks with a hamstring injury, and was only modestly productive his first few games on the field. From week 8 on, however, he went on a historically torrid streak. Beckham topped the NFL in yards per game while accumulating 12 touchdowns and 1305 recieving yards. Much like Barkley, the 2014 twelfth overall pick combined insane production with a knack for the spectacular, as his famous one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys that year has gone down as an all-time NFL highlight. The LSU product earned a trip to the Pro Bowl that season and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Beckham’s Big Blue career may have had an ugly ending, but it couldn’t have began any more beautifully.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.