The Giants went 11-5 last season due to standout performances by a number of individuals. It was a combination of returning players raising their games and newcomers meeting high expectations.
Six Giants were ranked in Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players from the 2016 season, led by safety Landon Collins, who ranked eighth.
Giants Quarterback Overview
Here’s a recap of the Giants on the list with PFF’s explanation for the rankings:
8. Safety Landon Collins
There is no greater advertisement for the difference finding the right role can make than Landon Collins’ 2016 season. A year ago, he was a rookie disappointment that had floundered as the deep-lying free safety in the Giants’ defensive scheme. In 2016, though, he was moved closer to the action as their strong safety and became reborn as a true impact playmaker. Collins was everywhere for the Giants this year, impacting the run, covering receivers close to the line and even causing havoc as a pass-rusher on the blitz. He had a very real Defensive Player of the Year case and won PFF’s Breakout Player of the Year award.
30. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
The Giants brought in two new corners this past offseason: first-round rookie Eli Apple and free-agent acquisition Janoris Jenkins (formerly with the Rams). That left the team in a situation of three players for two starting spots, and caused them to ask Rodgers-Cromartie to play snaps in the slot; he responded with excellent play. Rodgers-Cromartie ended the year on fire, making several crucial plays in the final games of the season. He ended the year with six interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
40. CB Janoris Jenkins
Janoris Jenkins was a player who didn’t draw rave reviews from Pro Football Focus a season ago when the Giants paid him big money in free agency. Simply put, he had never put it all together with the Rams, and was still far more potential than actual production. In the 2016 season, though, Jenkins’ performance was dramatically better. His play was highlighted by his coverage of Cowboys WR Dez Bryant late in the season, holding Bryant to just one catch for 10 yards, and forcing a fumble on the tackle the one time the receiver did catch the ball.
WR overview
44. DT Damon Harrison
Damon Harrison is the best run defender in the league, and if this was a different era, we would be talking about him as one of the most dominant forces in the entire game. His work against the run is on another level, and he once again led the league in run-stop percentage and run stops among interior defenders. He made 52 defensive stops this season, which led all interior defenders, but 49 run stops, which led all interior defenders by 10. Only eight players were able to amass more than half of Harrison’s total, and he retained PFF’s Best Run Defender award.
51. WR Odell Beckham Jr.
For receivers to really have dominant seasons, they need help from their quarterback. No dominant receiver was given less help from his than Odell Beckham Jr, who had to suffer through the worst season of Eli Manning’s career in the past decade-plus. Despite that, Beckham still racked up 1,367 yards, topped 100 receptions and scored 10 times. He broke 29 tackles after the catch, the most among wideouts by six, and would likely have been higher on the list but for an ugly playoff performance against the Packers after his infamous boat trip.
71. DE Olivier Vernon
No player was made to work harder in terms of snap volume than Olivier Vernon in his first year with the Giants. In fact, Vernon’s 1,041 snaps in the regular season were 78 more than any other edge rusher. The former Miami Dolphin played 94.1 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps, posting 39 defensive stops and 86 QB total pressures (second-most overall in the league).
Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.
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