Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
The last time the New York Giants had a wide receiver like this was six years ago, right before they traded Odell Beckham away. He’s the last one they’ve had with anything close to this kind of potential, explosiveness, and overall talent.
They’ve been searching for someone like Malik Nabers ever since.
Maybe that’s too much pressure to put on the 20-year-old from LSU that the Giants just selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but that’s the bar for the expectations. The Giants have tried and failed for years to find a true, No. 1 receiver to replace Beckham. They’ve failed in free agency, the draft, and even in their attempts to develop their own.
But they think the 6-foot, 200-pound Nabers is a can’t-miss kid, with the ability to revive their dormant offense and maybe even rescue their franchise quarterback. To them, he’s more than just the next in the long line of great receivers to come out of LSU.
He’s exactly what the Giants need.
“I think at that position, (it’s) the toughness, some of the competitiveness. Some of the best ones I’ve been around, they have that,” said Giants general manager Joe Schoen. “What separates all the guys that are six-foot, 200 pounds and run a 4.45 — there’s a bunch of them out there — to me it always goes back to grit, toughness, tenacity. You can’t coach that. You can’t teach that. I think this kid best illustrates it.”
“Generators,” is the word Giants coach Brian Daboll used to describe players like that. “People that can do stuff with the ball in their hands. Whether that’s take a jet sweep and go 30 yards, or whether that’s running a double move and catch it 50 yards down the field to help you score points.
“Malik, I feel that he is that.”
Saquon Barkley was the last generator on the Giants offense, but there was always a limited amount a running back could do playing behind a struggling offensive line. Beckham, who played…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/malik-nabers-should-be-the-giants-best-wr-since-odell
Author :
Publish date : 2024-05-14 17:48:25
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
