Brian Burns is again doing what he is accustomed to doing in lining up as an NFL outside linebacker.
New team, old tricks.
That means playing in every game. That means staying on the field for long stretches. That means applying pressure and accumulating sacks, not by the bushel, but enough to remind everyone he is a presence and a defender who needs to be accounted for on a snap-by-snap basis.
And it means losing far too much. Again.
There is no peace for the Giants.
Are there pieces?
As a franchise record-tying nine-game losing streak, a rash of injuries and banner-carrying airplanes flying over two-thirds-filled stadiums turn up the temperature on a lost season, the Giants (2-12) still need to evaluate their players to know what they have moving forward.
“I don’t think it makes it difficult,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “They compete as hard as they can, you evaluate their technique, you evaluate their understanding of the schemes, their competitiveness, all the things that they need to do at each position.”
Here are 12 this-way-or-that-way players — nine draft picks and three veterans — of whom you can ask “What is he really as a player?” when these next three games are over and the offseason begins:
WR Jalin Hyatt
General manager Joe Schoen traded up in the 2023 third round to draft Hyatt after nearly taking him in the second. Is the former Biletnikoff Award winner a fringe player, as his seven catches for 53 yards this season and zero touchdowns in 30 career games suggest? Or is a coaching staff that has used him for 16 or fewer snaps seven times to blame for his underdevelopment?
Jalin Hyatt #13 of the New York Giants is tackled by DeMarvion Overshown #13 of the Dallas Cowboys.Getty Images
WR Wan’Dale Robinson
As Darius Slayton heads to free agency, can you comfortably pencil in Robinson as the No. 2 receiver out of the slot? Not based on his 7.4 yards per catch (ranked No. 139 in the NFL) on 111 targets (No. 14). Unless you think that’s a symptom of poor quarterbacking and the yards after catch that he was meant to provide is being masked.
RT Evan Neal
Is it time to put the “bust” label on the 2022 No. 7 pick? He has started the past five games (allowing two sacks and 12 pressures) after losing his starting job following last season’s poor play and foot injury. Offensive-line experts say Neal still is on the ground too often. He won’t be the starting right tackle in 2025. Should he be tried at guard? Or traded for pennies on the dollar before his walk year?
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
If Schoen has a top-three-round pick to celebrate from the 2022-23 draft classes, it’s Thibodeaux. But the former No. 5 pick is quietly playing out the stretch. Thibodeaux has 18.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in 40 career games, after missing five this season due to wrist surgery. Supporters point to his run defense. Critics say the metrics behind his 11.5 sacks in 2023 (6.4 pass-rush win rate) suggest it was unsustainable production.
Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux #5, during practice.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
C John Michael Schmitz
Just because he clears the low bar as the best of Schoen’s four offensive line picks (Neal, Josh Ezeudu and the long-gone Marcus McKethan) doesn’t mean that he should be penciled in as a starter. The six-year collegian was advertised by scouts as a plug-and-play starter near his developmental ceiling. He is ranked as the No. 53 center by Pro Football Focus and still is getting knocked off the ball by power rushers.
CB Deonte Banks
All the good vibes that Banks created as a solid rookie are gone. The 2023 first-rounder’s tackling effort was questioned multiple times. He has allowed six touchdown catches in 12 games. This season proved he is not yet up to being a No. 1 corner, but can he be a solid No. 2? Schoen often claims that he doesn’t draft for scheme, but Banks sure seemed to be a better fit for man-to-man press coverage.
Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) tries to break up a pass to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Rakim Jarrett.Robert Sabo for NY Post
LB Micah McFadden
Unlike most youngsters on this list, McFadden’s arrow is pointing up. It must be determined if his 102-tackle, three-sack breakout so far is just scratching the surface or if it’s the product of someone needing to fill out the stat sheet with so many injuries. The 2022 fifth-rounder’s motor never runs cold, and he is getting a small late-season taste as the defensive signal-caller.
