EAST RUTHERFORD - At 20 years old, Malik Nabers stepped onto the practice field with the New York Giants this spring with great expectations. The tenures of Giants general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll now intersect with a playmaker who has had something to prove for seemingly his entire athletic life.
Striving to satisfy the NFL standard established by Odell Beckham Jr., Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson is a given.
Doing so under the pressure of being the next great receiver from LSU - and with all teams, the Giants, considering the shadow Beckham cast in his time here - is not as daunting of a reality as one might expect, Nabers insists.
His promise: he's ready for the challenge.
"I get a lot of comparisons," Nabers said. "I'm just focusing on trying to be the best Malik Nabers I can possibly be."
So what does the best of the No. 2 player in our ranking of the most impactful Giants heading into this season look like? Nabers has certainly put on a show in practice so far, teasing of potential greatness that's about to continue in training camp beginning Wednesday morning.
Scouting report
Nabers is so fun to watch, even in non-contact practice this spring. His compact and muscular frame (6-foot, 200 pounds) reminds me of Chase, and the ease with which Nabers makes everything look smooth in a Giants' uniform is reminiscent of Beckham. He brings a flair to the game that is undeniable, and at this point it's hard to see a situation where he is not a centerpiece of this offense from the outset.
In his final year at LSU, Nabers caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Nabers immediately becomes the one player on the Giants' offense that puts defenses on their heels.
His separation rate is through the roof, and he led the country in 10-yard-plus, 20-yard-plus and 30-yard-plus plays this past season. Beckham is the last 1,000-yard receiver for the Giants and that was in 2018.
Why Nabers is on the list
The Giants believe Nabers will change their offense with competitiveness, toughness and a rare electricity he plays with.
There will be pressure to live up to expectations, and even more so with the Giants still fighting their way out from under the losing of the past decade. Jefferson, Chase, Puka Nacua, Jaylen Waddle, Chris Olave, A.J. Brown, Garrett Wilson and tight end Kyle Pitts all posted 1,000-yard campaigns in their rookie year over the past five seasons.
If Nabers hits the ground running, his mere presence can open up the entire passing game, even with the offensive line promising to be a work-in-progress early on and Daniel Jones seeking another bounce back season, this time from ACL surgery and a less-than-desired 2023 that makes this yet another make-or-break campaign for him.
Nabers might just be good enough to raise the game of an entire unit.
Malik Nabers: What they're saying
"It doesn’t take long for you to see that he can do it all. He can line up in the slot. He can run every route. He can take the top off. He can stop on a dime. He has a huge catch radius. You know, we haven’t seen something like this since Odell when he first burst onto the scene way back when." - former Giants WR Victor Cruz on Nabers in an interview with NorthJersey.com
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