Skip to main content
New York Giants homepage
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

Rookie Report: Progress of Giants' 2021 class

KADARIUS-TONEY

Rookies are at the midway point of their first season in the NFL. Giants.com checks in with the team's class of 2021:

WR Kadarius Toney

The Giants' first-round pick has had to play through injuries and COVID-19 early in his NFL career. He only practiced a handful of times in the off-season, which resulted in only 25 snaps the first two weeks as he worked himself into the offense. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 5 against the Cowboys which limited him to only six snaps the next two weeks. He also injured his thumb but played through it in Week 8 against the Chiefs.

Toney's two best games came against the Saints and Cowboys, which were also the only two games where he was targeted more than five times this season. He caught six of nine targets for 78 yards in New Orleans and ten of thirteen targets for 189 yards against the Cowboys the following week. He has not had more than four receptions or 36 receiving yards in any other game.

Known as a dangerous player after the catch coming out of Florida, Toney has proven those scouting reports to be accurate with 207 of his 352 receiving yards having come after the catch. Pro Football Focus has tracked him for 89 yards after contact. Overall, he has 28 catches on 36 targets for 352 yards, including 18 catches that have gone for first downs. PFF has tracked him for four drops this season.

Toney has also rushed the ball three times for six yards, and completed one of two passes for 19 yards. He has had other opportunities to throw the ball but no one has been open and he has been smart enough not to force a pass down the field. He was used as a punt returner against the Chiefs in Week 8 and had one return for no yards.

LB Azeez Ojulari

The second-round pick leads NFL rookies in sacks with 5.5, a half-sack ahead of Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. Ojulari had 2.5 sacks in one game against the Panthers, with one each coming in games against the Broncos, Washington Football Team and Falcons to start the season. He also has a forced fumble and seven quarterback hits, and PFF has tracked him with 24 pressures.

Ojulari has been stout setting the edge in the run game. He has six tackles for loss this season, and PFF has tracked him for only two missed tackles. He has amassed 25 tackles (15 solo), and had a batted pass against the Raiders. He has played 214 snaps on the left edge of the Giants defense, and 103 snaps on the right edge.

From Daniel Jones' one-handed catch on a trick play to Xavier McKinney's pick-six to the OT thriller in New Orleans, re-live the best moments from the first half of the season in this must-see photo gallery.