Ranking the Giants' 13 UDFAs: Who has the best shot to make the team?

New York Times

02-05-2025

The New York Giants have enjoyed a run of good luck mining the undrafted free-agent market, so can we expect them to find another contributor or two this year?
While the odds may be against it, the Giants' recent history tells us they might.
In 2022, they found linebacker Tomon Fox, who played in 16 games for the Giants that year, tallying 24 tackles and a sack. He remains a member of the team. In 2023, quarterback Tommy DeVito became one of the most famous UDFA stories in recent memory, leading the Giants to three wins down the stretch. And last year, the Giants signed defensive lineman Elijah Chatman, who attended rookie minicamp as a tryout. Chatman then appeared in all 17 Giants games, tallying 21 tackles and a sack. The team also got contributions from UDFA offensive lineman Jake Kubas and defensive lineman Casey Rogers, while kicker Jude McAtamney, who was signed as an international exemption on the practice squad, saw action in one game.
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As these players exemplify, UDFAs can quickly become useful assets. However, while fans might be rooting for these underdog stories, the reality is that as the Giants' roster improves, the fewer chances there are for players like this to succeed.
As of now, the Giants' 2025 class of UDFAs includes 13 members. We're going to break down each one — with some help from Dane Brugler's 'The Beast' — while ranking how likely we think they are to make an impact for the Giants this season. Remember, it's still early. We haven't seen these players suit up for the Giants, meaning there's no way of truly knowing who might earn a spot, so consider these some educated guesses:
The Giants mostly returned the same group of receivers as last season. But given the sheer number of wide receivers on this UDFA list (five), it's clear they still view the position in need of some competitive depth. Enter Felton, who is the best available receiver from Brugler's 'The Beast' and an alum of Bruce Feldman's 'Freaks List.' The 6-foot-4, 214-pound Felton has 'upside as a third-level threat,' Brugler said, but he needs to refine his 'route running and finishing skills to capitalize on his physical advantages.'
Felton's production dipped in 2024 (32 receptions for 360 yards and two touchdowns versus 38 catches for 667 yards and eight TDs in 2023), but in terms of the Giants' need and his abilities, Felton stands as good a chance as anyone on this list.
The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Collins had 'draftable traits,' Brugler wrote, so even though he didn't get picked, he's the kind of receiver you want your team to bet on in this process. As a 'loose, limber athlete, Collins can alter his pacing mid-route and flashes a second gear to run under the deep ball.' On the downside, his execution is lacking and focus drops are an issue, Brugler said. Collins tallied 41 receptions for 490 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
Thread of Relative Athletic Scores for the Giants' UDFAs
WR Beaux Collins: 9.09
6'-3'201 lbs
Elite explosion grade pic.twitter.com/hSQtp3bHP7
— Doug Analytics (@Doug_Analytics) April 27, 2025
If you're the Giants, and you just drafted Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, why not also pick up one of Dart's favorite targets? The 6-foot, 201-pound Wells struggled to maintain a high level of play in his lone year at Ole Miss, but he still finished with 28 receptions for 553 yards and six touchdowns. So, while there's familiarity with Dart, and the talent is there, Wells' 'lack of consistency getting open and finishing catches was a problem' last year, Brugler said. Still, considering the Dart connection, color us intrigued.
JUICE. WELLS. 🧃@JaxsonDart ➡️ @juicew3lls pic.twitter.com/HWiGCHj5ic
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 31, 2024
After Deonte Banks' struggles as the No. 1 cornerback last year, the Giants brought in veteran Paulson Adebo this offseason. Last year's rookie Dru Phillips showed promise in the slot, and Cor'Dale Flott offers backup experience in the slot and on the boundary, but there's still space in the room for another cornerback. While the Giants drafted Korie Black in the seventh round, the 6-foot, 189-pound Fortune could make an impact. Fortune 'needs to play with improved discipline, both in coverage and run support, but his ball awareness and fluidity will translate well to the pro game,' Brugler said.
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Similar to improvements made in the cornerback room, the Giants heavily invested at safety this offseason, as well. They signed veteran safety Jevon Holland to a lucrative deal to play alongside Tyler Nubin, who showed promise in his debut season. Dane Belton can be a serviceable backup, but again, there's room for more depth at this spot. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound Paige appeared in 53 games for Michigan, including making 32 starts — four as a big nickel. Paige offers some positional flexibility, and he's got special teams experience, which could be an appealing asset.
The Giants didn't spend a lot on their offensive line this offseason, but they did add a lot of depth pieces behind the returning starting five, so it'll be a tough road for the 6-foot-3, 298-pound Williams to make the team. It's also worth noting that the Giants drafted Purdue's Marcus Mbow in the fifth round (and viewed him as a potential fourth-rounder).
Still, you can never have too much offensive line depth, and if Williams — who has experience at guard and tackle — can prove he's got more upside than some of New York's low-cost veteran additions, he'll have a chance.
Yet another wide receiver! See what I mean about the Giants doing their due diligence on finding depth for the summer? The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Bly is the son of 11-year NFL defensive back Dre Bly. After three seasons at Old Dominion, Jordan Bly tallied 32 receptions for 333 yards in his one year at Gardner-Webb. Bly was the first receiver on Brugler's 'best of the rest' list in 'The Beast.'
DANCE PARTY 🕺 @bly_jordan #BigSouthOVCFB | @GWUFootball pic.twitter.com/6TyEY5cSLM
— OVC-Big South Football Association (@BigSouthOVCFB) October 19, 2024
As with Dart and Wells, there's another 2025 draft pick connection. Delancy played three seasons at Toledo alongside this year's third-round pick Darius Alexander. The 5-foot-9, 186-pound Delancy spent his final college year at Wisconsin, making six solo tackles in 11 games. While the CB room might be getting more crowded, Delancy's special teams experience could help him earn a roster spot.
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The Giants brought back all of their tight ends, with last year's fourth-rounder Theo Johnson the presumed starter. Chris Manhertz and Daniel Bellinger are veterans, while the team added Thomas Fidone II in the seventh round. That means the 6-foot-4, 241-pound Terry is a long shot to make the squad. He'll have to show value on special teams in addition to boasting potential at tight end.
McCormick finished his collegiate career with 273 total tackles, including nine tackles for loss, seven interceptions and 24 passes defended. The 6-foot, 211-pound McCormick will need to bring those ball-hawking skills along with special teams acumen to improve his chances.
The final receiver of the group, Cambre offers more for his special teams potential than his receiver profile. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound Cambre tallied just 10 career catches at Louisiana, so unless he's a special teams monster, a roster spot could be an uphill climb.
Dalen Cambre is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.18 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 313 out of 3815 WR from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/lJvy5BrTef pic.twitter.com/cTdCcLql8y
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 12, 2025
As we get to the bottom of the rankings, this is more about the fit than the player. Tyrone Tracy Jr. emerged as the team's primary back last year as a rookie, and the Giants added a physical complement with their fourth-round selection of Cameron Skattebo. They also still have veteran Devin Singletary under contract along with 2023 fifth-rounder Eric Gray. So, unless the Giants move on from either Singletary or Gray, there's not a lot of room for the 5-foot-10, 218-pound Baker.
Similar to the running back room, there's not a ton of need for depth at outside linebacker. The Giants' group is officially stacked. They were already highly invested in the position before drafting Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick. Now, there's a talented trio to rotate along with quality veteran depth. That makes 6-foot-2, 249-pound Ford's path to a roster spot among the most difficult of the Giants' UDFAs.
(Photo of Da'Quan Felton: Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images)