Will NY Giants Receivers Be More Productive in 2025 Thanks to Quarterback Room Makeover?

Rostered Players

Malik Nabers: The Giants’ leading receiving threat was one of the most electrifying playmakers in his NFL debut. Nabers had a franchise record-setting 109 receptions, of which he logged 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. As long as he stays healthy, he’s destined to build on that. 

Darius Slayton: With Nabers taking over what used to be his main receiver role, Slayton’s 2024 campaign saw a reduction in targets. The team's longest-tenured receiver gave the Giants 39 receptions for 573 yards and two touchdowns.

Wan’Dale Robinson: If it wasn’t for Nabers, Robinson would have led the Giants in receptions for the second consecutive year. He notched 93 grabs for 699 yards, three touchdowns, a 7.5-yard average catch as the Giants’ lead slot receiver. 

Jalin Hyatt: The first two seasons with the Giants have been highly disappointing for a player who came from the college level as the 2023 Bilitnekoff winner. He barely found the ball in his hands in his third year with the team, netting eight catches for 62 yards despite playing in 16 games. That needs to change for a receiver with great vertical potential. 

Ihmir Smith-Marsette: The 25-year-old return man finally gave some semblance of success to the Giants' kick and punt return units. Smith-Marsette impressed in the former area, netting 34.6 yards per return on 11 attempts for 381 yards and a 100-yard touchdown return in Week 14.

Zach Pascal: The Giants might have brought Pascal in to bolster the receiving ranks this season, but he hasn’t contributed much to that realm over the last couple of years. He didn’t record a single catch in 2024 and was mainly used on special teams. He might have to battle for a depth role as a return specialist to make the roster. 

Lil’Jordan Humphrey: A player with solid size at 6-foot-4, Humphrey posted his career-best season with 31 receptions, 293 yards, and a touchdown for the Broncos. He could be a valuable asset in the intermediate game, but has good value as a return and coverage specialist on special teams, thanks to his frame and solid tackling ability in the open field. 

Beaux Collins: One of the better undrafted free agents to slip through the cracks of the board, Collins has shown some early flashes during spring practices. In his senior season with Notre Dame, he caught 41 passes for 490 yards, three touchdowns, and had a long ball of 53 yards. He could be a top candidate for a backup role. 

Bryce Ford-Wheaton: After losing his rookie season to a preseason ACL injury, Ford-Wheaton was a critical member of the Giants' special teams department. He played in 284 snaps in all phases of kickoff, punt, and field goal blocking teams and returned a blocked kick 60 yards to the house to help seal a 29-20 win over the Seahawks in Week 5.

Da’Quan Felton: Another big receiver who has vertical and separation abilities. Felton has looked good this spring and could also contend for a perimeter depth spot. He made 70 catches for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns in two seasons with Virginia Tech. 

Montrell Washington: An NFL journeyman in his early career who hasn’t established a presence through the air for Denver and Kansas City. Washington has recent experience as a kick and punt returner, but is likely an outlier to make the roster as he contends for his third franchise. 

Dalen Cambre: Cambre struggled to be a relevant set of hands at Louisiana. He never amassed more than five catches and 49 yards in a single season. He might need some time to develop into a more capable receiver before he can impact the Giants' offense. 

Jordan Bly: A transfer from Old Dominion to Gardner-Webb, the undrafted free agent played mostly out of the slot position with 234 snaps last season. He snatched 32 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns, and a 10.4 average catch, and could be in line for a backup slot job if he shines in camp.

Antwane "Juice" Wells Jr.: Wells played for three different schools in four seasons but displayed athleticism and production at a high volume at times. As a senior with Ole Miss, he recorded 28 catches for 553 yards, six touchdowns, and almost 20 yards per catch. He is smaller in size, but makes up for it with his ability to gain yards after the catch.

Biggest Unanswered Question

How will the bottom half of the depth chart play out for the wide receiver room?

With the Giants already returning to the gridiron with 10 of their 11 offensive starters from last season, it appears that the coaching staff will utilize the upcoming training camp to determine which players will earn the right to assume backup roles, making the unit more versatile for the 2025 season. 

What is making things tricky before the first camp practice begins in late July is that the Giants have brought in a promising group of young undrafted free agents.  

That said, it’s clear that the goal for the Giants' passing game this season is to make it more explosive than it was under former quarterback Daniel Jones. 

It’s a main reason why they recruited Russell Wilson, one of the best deep ball throwers in the league last fall. They need some underrated players to prove they can come and push the envelope if their name gets called during the season. 

Amid an eye-popping offseason where he’s put on some solid muscle and looked more engaged in the offensive sessions this spring, the Giants appear ready to give Hyatt one more chance to find his groove as a speedy vertical threat. 

Robinson remains the top option at the slot, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can find an additional role outside, as he has shared how he would like to have a bigger impact on the team. 

How Robinson’s role develops could impact which players ultimately make the cut, based on their fits and relevant skill sets.

The final array of receivers, which could comprise as many as seven players, must be one that is capable of producing a significantly better offensive product than the one that finished tied for last in explosive play rate last season.

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Training Camp Battle to Watch

Beaux Collins vs Da’Quan Felton for the final wide receiver spot

Typically, the Giants like to use six spots on their 53-man roster for the wide receiver position. Still, in a season where they want to have depth to counteract any potential injuries or shortcomings by key players, we are expecting them to reserve a seventh hole for an extra undrafted free agent to slip through the cracks of this summer’s competition. 

Among the most impressive guys this spring have been Collins and Felton, and the two bright-eyed youngsters could end up duking it out for that final spot and a second chance to impact an NFL roster. 

Neither player presumably brings much to the special teams element, although we would expect the Giants to have that settled through other options in the room, such as Smith-Marsette and Humphrey.

That means the big competition between Collins and Felton could come down to which receiver is better suited to produce consistently should his name be called. 

In Felton’s case, he had two seasons with 573+ yards and an average catch of 17.6 yards, meaning he has some upside in terms of opening up the offense and finding open space for big plays that reach the endzone. 

He also had two years with 7+ touchdowns, so he knows how to find his way into scoring opportunities that the Giants are eager to capitalize on this season. 

Collins, a Notre Dame product, is slightly smaller in size than Felton, but most of his receiving metrics are similar, including three seasons with 31 or more receptions.

He holds more touchdowns than Felton over the same span, but either way, the final decision between these two players could come down to a metaphorical coin flip.

Training Camp Position Grade: B+

General manager Joe Schoen might not have had the wide receiver position at the highest bullet point on his list of offseason priorities.

Admittingly, that went to the defense where he spent the most money on top-talent free agents, but one can’t ignore the job he’s done to bring some interesting ballhawk depth to the table for training camp this summer. 

Again, beyond the heroics of Nabers, who is only getting started as a premier pass catcher in the NFL, the Giants offense needs to prove they can step up and produce more consistently, and that starts with doing more damage through the air. 

No longer can the blame be placed solely on the quarterback position, which was a major factor in the pass catchers struggling to be explosive and find the end zone.

The onus will be on key players, such as Slayton, Robinson, and Hyatt, to get in sync with Wilson and capitalize on the opportunities that come their way. 

If the Giants can get that and maybe unearth a hidden gem from their group of undrafted free agents, they will become more respected as a threat across the league. Until we see if that happens, it remains the one waiting game that keeps the position grade slightly humbled.

Early 53-Man Roster Predictions

The Giants' starters are total locks at this point, and barring any injuries before the season kicks off, Nabers, Slayton, and Robinson will be three main contributors in the team’s offensive huddle. 

Given the positive signs of growth he has shown this spring, Hyatt will likely earn the fourth receiver spot and serve as a backup deep threat guy behind Nabers. If he wants his reps to increase to the level of a top-three receiver, he will need to diversify his route tree and find other ways to make the connection with the quarterback. 

Tabbing Smith-Marsette also seems like a given after he did a good job revitalizing the Giants' kick and punt return games last season, and he’ll be joined by Humphrey, whose size and solid hands can impact both areas of the field. The final spot might go to Felton after what figures to be an entertaining battle with Collins in camp. 

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