Interior Linemen and Cornerbacks Had the Giants' Worst PFF Grades in Week 1
All five of the Giants' lowest-graded defenders play one of those two positions. The interior line grading badly was expected. Cornerback was not — both safeties graded far above all four corners.
Pro Football Focus graded every Giants player in Sunday's 28-20 win over Dallas, and the low grades cluster in two places: the interior defensive line and the cornerbacks.
All five of the lowest-graded Giants defenders play one of those two positions. C.J. Okoye was at 34.3, Shelby Harris at 34.5, Dru Phillips at 36.2, Greg Newsome II at 38.2 and Darius Alexander at 41.5. Okoye, Harris and Alexander are interior linemen. Phillips and Newsome are cornerbacks.
Abdul Carter graded highest on the defense at 89.2. Tight end Isaiah Likely was highest on the offense at 88.7. DJ Reader, at 73.1, was the one interior lineman to grade well.
The figures above are overall grades, one number per player. Anything below drawn from a different measure is labeled.
Cornerback was the surprise
Both safeties graded far above all four cornerbacks who played. Jevón Holland was at 70.1 and Tyler Nubin at 63.5, against Deonte Banks at 42.2 and Paulson Adebo at 46.1, with Phillips and Newsome lower still.
That is the opposite of what GiantsGator expected. In August this site reported that the Giants' low secondary ranking was deserved at safety and not at cornerback, on the strength of camp and preseason play. One game in, the safeties are near the top of the defense and the cornerbacks are at the bottom.
The interior line was not
GiantsGator reported in August that the defensive line had shrunk to six players over cutdown weekend, and this month that with Dexter Lawrence traded to Cincinnati, the pass rush would have to come from the edge rather than the middle.
It did. In pass-rush grades, Carter was at 83.7 with a quarterback hit and three hurries and Chauncey Golston at 67.2. Kayvon Thibodeaux was at 48.2 with three pressures. GiantsGator reported Monday that the interior linemen produced no pressures on 54 combined pass-rush snaps.
Left guard and quarterback
Jon Runyan Jr. graded 43.8, second-lowest on the offense behind running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. at 39.0. He was charged with allowing two quarterback hits and a hurry. GiantsGator reported this month that the Giants extended Runyan after PFF graded him 53.0 in 2025, 67th of 81 qualified guards.
Jaxson Dart graded 71.9. Split by pressure, he was 19 of 22 with all three touchdown passes when kept clean and 4 of 7 for 57 yards when pressured.
Where the numbers come from
Two outlets published the grades Monday. Giants Wire listed one overall grade per player. Big Blue View listed separate grades for coverage, pass rush, run defense and pass blocking, which is where the pass-rush figures here come from. The two measures are not interchangeable.
PFF also revises grades after re-charting a game. GiantsGator corrected a Week 1 story Monday afternoon when it did. Treat these as PFF's reading on Monday, not a final one.