John Schmeelk

Giants.com is counting down to the start of 2025 Giants Training Camp with 25 questions in 25 days.

4) Who is most likely to make his first Pro Bowl this season?

John Schmeelk:At first, I thought this was going to be a tough question. But when I started to go through candidates, I narrowed it down to two fairly quickly. The easiest candidates like Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Malik Nabers have all made Pro Bowls. Andrew Thomas would be a good option, especially with Tristan Wirfs dealing with an injury that could cost him the start of his season and Trent Williams entering his age 37 season. But Thomas is recovering from a serious foot injury, so I won't go there for now.

Meanwhile, it's hard to find someone new on offense unless you get a huge jump from a young player like Theo Johnson or Tyrone Tracy Jr. There are much more realistic options on defense.

Up front, there is a non-zero chance that either Kayvon Thibodeaux or Bobby Okereke makes his first Pro Bowl, but given the other players in the front seven that are more likely to get votes from their peers (remember this is a popularity contest), I feel they are unlikely even if they have great seasons. Abdul Carter is the wild card and certainly has the talent, but I can't put a rookie in this conversation over the two free-agent additions the Giants made in the secondary.

Both Paulson Adebo and Jevn Holland are former Day 2 picks with the physical talent necessary to put up Pro Bowl numbers. With Holland just having turned 25 in March and Adebo turning 26 in July, both players are right in the middle of their prime where their physical gifts and mental maturity should be meeting at an ideal level. It's why the Giants chose to spend the money they did on them in the offseason.

Looking at the strength of the two positions in the conference, I don't think any differences there moves the needle for me enough to adjust my thought process. If I had to choose one I would probably go with Adebo. Cornerback play can be very volatile from year to year than safety making a breakout year for him more likely. Adebo already has 10 career interceptions while Holland just has five. Holland might also be in that free safety position more, which could take away from some of his counting stats if Tyler Nubin is closer to the line of scrimmage more often. You might as well flip a coin here though, as both guys are near equally likely to make their first Pro Bowl. Heck, it might be both.

Previous Questions

25) How would you sum up the Giants offseason?

24) Who stood out at spring practices?

23) What have we learned about OLB Abdul Carter?

22) What have we learned about QB Jaxson Dart?

21) What will QB Russell Wilson bring to the Giants this season?

20) What should we know about the draft class outside of the first round?

19) Which player will make the most fireworks this season?

18) What changes did the Giants make to the coaching staff?

17) What is the development plan for QB Jaxson Dart?

16) How are the Giants going to deploy the trio of Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns?

15) What is the state of the offensive line?

14) What was the most underrated move of the offseason?

13) What injury statuses should we be tracking when players report back?

12) Do the Giants really have the toughest schedule in the NFL?

11) What are the offensive competitions to watch at training camp?

10) What are the defensive competitions to watch at training camp?

9) Who are some sleeper players to follow?

8) What does the NFC East picture look like heading into 2025?

7) What is the strongest position group heading into camp?

6) Who do you think will be team captains?

**5) What is one storyline not getting enough attention?**

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