The Giants' 2019 season didn't go to plan.
Despite a 4-12 overall record, there might've been one positive that came out of Blue Big's bad year. Plenty of young players got playing time, rookies specifically.
And the Giants' first-year pros used that valuable time well, according to Pro Football Focus.
The football analytics site named four Giants players in their end of season top-50 rookies list.
The four Giants rookies that were on the list were Dexter Lawrence, Julian Love, Darius Slayton and Daniel Jones. While the quarterback highlights the group, he actually rounded out the Giants' rankings. It was Lawrence that was the highest-rated and in the top-10, landing at No. 9.
Here's what PFF said about Lawrence (76.1 overall grade):
"Lawrence slowed down the stretch, but his hot start lands him at No. 9 in PFF's rookie rankings, as he still ranks 20th in PFF overall grade among all at his position. His pass-rushing could still use some work - he managed just 30 total pressures on 412 pass-rushing snaps and finished the year tied for 43rd among interior defenders in pass-rush win rate (9.6%) - but the return on investment has still been higher than anticipated for the 17th overall pick."
Next, Love clocked in at No. 13, grading at a 70.5 overall:
"After playing mostly out wide at Notre Dame, the Giants had Love move into the box and in the slot, and over the last six weeks, Love earned the ninth-best PFF grade in the box and allowed just 19 yards on his 80 coverage snaps at that alignment."
The Giants' top-two rookies on the list helped New York find some positives in the defense, as opposed to last season. Overall, the Giants defense actually slipped from the No. 24 unit in 2018 to the No. 25 overall one in 2019, but their points-per-game allowed took a jump from 28.2 to 25.8. That's a trend the Giants will hope their young players have started to build a foundation for.
With the Giants' next two selections, the offense comes into play. Before Jones jumps in, Slayton clocked in at No.22 with a 70.3 overall grade:
"Former Auburn Tiger Darius Slayton produced numerous highlight-reel plays in 2019 and picked up seven receptions that resulted in a gain of at least 30 yards - tied for the 16th-most in the league. Slayton ended the year with a 70.5 receiving grade that currently ranks sixth among rookie players at the position."
Jones comes in at No. 34 (65.7):
"Daniel Jones has pretty much been as expected at the NFL level - he produced an average rate of positive plays but put the ball in harm's way at an alarming rate. The sixth overall pick's turnover worthy-play rate on the year ranks second to last among all quarterbacks, one spot worse than the perennially turnover-prone Jameis Winston. Most of those turnover-worthy plays stemmed from his recurring fumbling issue, though, as he fumbled in 10 of his 13 game appearances this season. His 17 fumbles on the year is the most in the NFL."
By comparison, Lawrence was the second-highest rated defensive lineman by PFF, trailing only the 49ers' Nick Bosa, who clocked in at No. 1 on the list.
In regard to Jones, he comes in as the third-ranked quarterback. In a surprise, the Jaguars' Gardner Minshew, a sixth-round pick, is the highest rated at No. 15. Jones also slightly trails fellow first-round pick, the Redskins' Dwayne Haskins.