Tag: malik nabers

Where do Daniel Jones-Malik Nabers rank among NFL’s new QB-WR duos?

When the New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall in the 2024 NFL draft, Joe Schoen and the team’s front office finally gave Daniel Jones the big-play target he’s been lacking for years.

With the talent Nabers brings, the hope is that he and Jones will make a lethal QB-WR duo.

The Jones-Nabers duo is one of many new ones ahead of the 2024 season. CBS Sports ranked the league’s newest quarterback-wide receiver combos and the Giants’ pair came pretty close to the bottom of the list.

11. Daniel Jones and Malik Nabers

Nabers’ projected receiving stats: 68 receptions, 969 yards, 5 TDs

The New York Giants elected not to draft a quarterback this offseason, instead gifting Jones a crafty, explosive pass-catcher in Nabers. He caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, and in his three total years at LSU, Nabers recorded the most receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003) in program history. Can Jones remain healthy and get the most out of this new weapon? That remains to be seen.

Giants fans would likely sign on for a stat line like the one CBS projected here.

Stock has been down on Jones since his disappointing injury-riddled year last season. DJ has also had his fair share of detractors throughout his career, which could also contribute to the poor rank on the list.

With Saquon Barkley now in Philadelphia, the Giants will rely heavily on their rookie receiver to be a weapon from the jump.

Meanwhile, for Jones, Nabers should supply him with the best receiver he’s had to this point at the professional level (and likely ever).

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Giants' biggest X-factors on offense in 2024

The New York Giants head into the 2024 season aiming to get back on track after an injury and chaos-filled 6-11 campaign in 2023.

For them to do that, they’ll have to improve on their 30th-ranked offense, which averaged a measly 15.4 points per game last season.

Here are five ‘X-factors’ that the offense must hit on in 2024.

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6 New York Giants who are likely to break out in 2024

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John Michael Schmitz had several issues as a rookie last season. He injured his shoulder on an ill-fated ‘tush push’ attempt and missed a month. Then, due to a rash of injuries along the line, he was teamed up with a rotation of guards who underperformed. There was no continuity and the line was a mess as a result.

This year, Schmitz will be flanked by two free agent additions (Runyan, Eluemunor) and there should be more consistency up the middle. He believes the upgrades along the line will help him become the leader the Giants need him to be.

“I think the biggest thing for me when times are tough, you really know who a true leader is when you hit adversity, you hit a tough time. All the guys look to someone, and I want to be that for our room and take charge,” he said.

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Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks offer advice to Giants rookie Malik Nabers

The New York Giants haven’t fielded a game-changing wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. last wore the blue but that will change in 2024 following the addition of rookie Malik Nabers.

The 20-year-old Nabers, who is as confident as they come, will be immediately thrust into a major role under the brightest lights in all of football.

New York is now his oyster.

But playing in The Big Apple comes with added pressure. Some athletes are cut out for it while many others are not. The truth is, success or failure in New York hinges upon much more than just production on the field.

Every move Nabers makes will be dissected under a microscope. He’ll be recognized in public, cameras will be everywhere, and fans will break down every move he makes and every word he says.

There are a few who know what Nabers is about to endure, including Paterson native Victor Cruz, who used New York to become a household name both on and off the gridiron.

“I walked into a restaurant in Summit, New Jersey, the other day and a couple guys in the back corner, they start yelling, ‘Cruuuz,’” Cruz told Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com. “That’s going to be with me forever. It’s all that comes with playing in this town, playing at a high level and helping bring home that Lombardi. That sets players apart, brings a different aura to guys who have won that championship.

“That’s what is out there for Malik Nabers to achieve as a Giant. It’s all there to make his own legacy and be the next great one. I think he has all the tools, man, to be great.”

There will be highs and there will be lows. The highs will be very high and the lows will be very low. That’s why, retired wide receiver Hakeem Nicks says, Nabers must avoid riding the wave.

“Don’t jump on the wave. That’s my advice,” Nicks said. “Don’t jump on the wave. Because when you ride it when it’s up, you better be able to take it when it goes down. Just play the game of football, just do what you do and what got you to this point.”

Cruz believes Nabers has a personality capable of surviving under the relentless spotlight.

“It’s tough to play in this city, man, I’m not going to lie,” Cruz said. “But just hearing him speak and seeing a little bit of his personality, I think he’s ready for it. Even though he’s a first round pick, I think he has to treat it like he’s an undrafted free agent. If he treats every single day like a learning tool, it’s going to work out to his benefit.

“If he tries to come out and attack the world, put everything on his shoulders and be the best player out there every day, it’ll get heavy for him and it’ll weigh on him. He’s so talented, that time will come. For right now, he’s going to make mistakes. He’s got to learn from them. Be a guy who thinks, ‘What am I going to achieve today to get better?’ With that mindset, it’ll go a long way to him getting to where I believe he can be.”

The Giants — and especially quarterback Daniel Jones — hope the mistakes will be limited and that Nabers handles himself accordingly while carving out his own legacy on the field.

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Did Vikings try to leapfrog Giants for Malik Nabers in 2024 NFL draft?

Leading up to the 2024 NFL draft, rumors swirled suggesting the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings were looking to trade up. In both cases, it was believed they were targeting a quarterback.

After Caleb Williams unsurprisingly went off the board to the Chicago Bears at No. 1 overall, those rumors heated up again. Both the Giants and Vikings reportedly engaged the New England Patriots, who held the No. 3 overall selection.

Despite significant offers made by each team, New England stood pat and selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

The Arizona Cardinals selected wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers selecting offensive tackle Joe Alt at No. 5 overall.

When it was their time on the clock, the Giants passed on the remaining quarterbacks and selected wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 5. Five picks later, the Vikings then settled on quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall.

However, despite their selection of a quarterback, Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press said there was buzz that the Vikings were actually attempting to trade up ahead of the Giants so they could take Nabers.

There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move from No. 11 to No. 5, not to pick a quarterback but to get LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was picked No. 6 by the Giants. Had that trade occurred, Jefferson would have been traded and Nabers would have been the No. 1 receiver.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that exact scenario during Round 1 of the draft, but it was somehow overlooked and subsequently buried.

“At No. 5, the Chargers, when they took Joe Alt, they passed on an opportunity to trade out of that spot. The team that wanted to move up to that spot, I’m told, the Minnesota Vikings — and not to take J.J. McCarthy,” Florio said at the time. “The Vikings, I’m told, were trying to move up to No. 5 to get Malik Nabers.”

Had the Vikings moved up and snagged Nabers, it would have been the second time in four years that a team leapfrogged the Giants for a No. 1 wide receiver. The Philadelphia Eagles did it in 2021 when they moved up to No. 10 overall for DeVonta Smith.

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Daniel Jones wasn’t ‘fired up’ about Giants’ pursuit for successor

It’s no secret by now that the New York Giants were seeking to move on from quarterback Daniel Jones in this year’s NFL draft. They attempted to move up into the top three but could not knock any of the teams selecting there off their respective spots.

Instead, they took what the football gods gave them and selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick.

Jones, who is still rehabbing from the ACL surgery that ended his 2023 season after six games, told reporters on Thursday that he wasn’t a fan of the Giants trying to replace him but was ‘fired up’ about the player they ended up picking in the first round.

Jones has been at this game for six summers now and knows that he can only control what he can control. He’s simply going to go out and do his job at camp this year.

“I’m focused on playing the best football I can play… It’s part of it, but I’m fired up we got Malik and I’m looking forward to getting to work,” he said. “Fired up to get Malik. I watched some of his tape in college and he’s a dynamic player.”

Jones took the field at the Giants OTAs on Thursday. He participated in 7-on-7 drills and is progressing. He should be close to being ready for training camp, which opens in a few months.

“He looks good. We’re not putting him in some team stuff, but he’s making progress so that’s why we got him in seven on seven,” head coach Brian Daboll said of Jones. “We’ll take it day-by-day and when he can do more, we’ll put him in more.”

Asked he’ll be ready for Week 1 of the regular season when the Giants host the Minnesota Vikings, Jones was fairly confident he’ll be available.

“I don’t have any doubt about it,” Jones said.



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PFF lists Giants’ Malik Nabers among NFL’s top 32 wide receivers

The New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. The dynamic Nabers — without even taking his first NFL snap — is already being considered one of the league’s top pass catchers.

In Pro Football Focus’ latest wide receiver rankings by analyst Sam Monson, Nabers comes in at No. 25.

The second rookie to appear on this list, Malik Nabers brings an exceptional explosive threat to the table. He is extremely fast, sudden as a route runner, and is a big play waiting to happen from the slot or out wide. He gives Daniel Jones the best receiver he has had to throw to thus far in the NFL.

Nabers was the second wide receiver selected in the draft behind Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., who was taken fourth overall by Arizona. Harrison was ranked 21st on this list.

The other rookie on the list, Washington’s Rome Odunze — taken by Chicago at No. 9 — was listed at No. 29 by Monson.

Nabers not only gives the Giants a stud at the position, he enhances an eclectic group of wideouts which include veterans Darius Slayton and Allen Robinson along with young speedsters such as Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt.

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New York Giants WR Malik Nabers not a fan of ‘Century Red’ uniforms

The “Century Red” alternate uniforms unveiled last week to commemorate the New York Giants’ 100th NFL season continue to catch flack — even from within.

After the uniforms were panned by fans and experts, as well as mascots and opponents, Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers also offered up a criticism of sorts.

Although Nabers didn’t outright insult the throwback look, he certainly didn’t celebrate the historic uniforms, either. Rather, Nabers said, it will be difficult to make them look good.

“It’s gonna be hard to swag it out, that’s all I got to say about it,” Nabers said at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere.

How could Nabers pull it off? Even he isn’t sure.

“I don’t know. I’ma have to see when I put it on,” Nabers said.

The Giants will wear the uniforms at least twice during the 2024 regular season, so Nabers will have multiple chances to “swag it out.”



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Giants’ offense ranked among league-worst following 2024 NFL draft

The New York Giants selected dynamic LSU wideout Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, a move that should help their low-scoring offense improve.

The addition of Nabers may not be enough to move the needle in some critics’ eyes, however. In Bleacher Report’s latest rankings of all 32 NFL teams, Alex Ballentine lists the Giants at No. 30 heading into this season.

It’s a bit of an oversimplification, but the New York Giants offense was one of the worst in the league last season and lost its best playmaker in Saquon Barkley. That’s not a recipe for a much better attack in 2024.

That’s not completely fair, though. They did lose Daniel Jones for all but six games, and he’ll be back. That’s not necessarily a huge upgrade, though. The silver lining for the Giants is they made moves that will give them a better shot at being good—it just might take a year.

Malik Nabers gives them a legitimate No. 1 receiver, and signing Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan Jr. gives them more functional offensive linemen.

The injuries, which caused the shuttling of offensive linemen and quarterbacks all season, led to much of the inconsistency last year. The Giants averaged just 15.6 points per game. Only New England and Carolina averaged less.

Ballentine does, however, offer some hope for the Giants. As usual, it requires the team to stay healthy and gain some traction with their young core.

Most of the improvement needs to come from young players growing into their roles. Evan Neal is going to get another chance at right tackle. Jalin Hyatt is going to have every opportunity to carve out a large role in the passing game. The same can be said for Wan’Dale Robinson.

Brian Daboll did turn the offense around in 2022 with Jones at the helm. If he stays healthy, Nabers is electric from Day 1 and others step up, this offense could surprise.

The Giants are going to give Jones some rope here once he’s deemed healthy. If he can’t get things going, they could quickly pivot to free agent Drew Lock to see if he can take this offense where it needs to be.

Read all the best Giants coverage at NorthJersey.com and Giants Wire.

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Malik Nabers calls off Rookie of the Year bet with Jayden Daniels

New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, the sixth overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft, recently revealed that he and former LSU teammate, Jayden Daniels, had a $10,000 running bet on who would be this year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, was Nabers’ quarterback at LSU and the second overall selection in the draft by the Washington Commanders.

On Friday, at the Giants’ rookie minicamp, Nabers told reporters that the bet was off.

The bet was canceled after Nabers and Daniels realized they might be bumping up against the league’s policies on gambling.

“I’m educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling,” Nabers said. “We’re calling the bet off. There is no bet now. It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get to success. That’s all it was.”

The competition is far from over, though. Nabers and Daniels will face off twice this season. That is on the back burner for the moment. Nabers has bigger fish to fry, such as learning the playbook and fitting in with his new team.

“For right now, it’s just learning the playbook, interacting with my teammates, interacting with the rookies here. You know, trying to learn how to be a Giant, following the instructions or rules they have here. It’s just being a pro at the end of the day,” he said.

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