Acquiring a true No. 1 wide receiver remains a priority for the New York Giants, but head coach Brian Daboll already “really likes” one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class, Malik Nabers.
The LSU star spoke to reporters at the annual NFL Scouting Combine and confirmed he enjoyed “a great interview with the Giants.” Nabers also feels “like the head coach, he really likes me a lot,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
Significantly, Nabers expressed his belief he can replace Odell Beckham Jr. as the go-to receiver the Giants have lacked since 2019: “I know they’re still looking for that WR1, especially after Odell left, so if I can come in and be that guy, then you know, so be it.”
"I know they're looking for that WR1, especially after Odell left. If I can come in and be that guy, so be it."
Malik Nabers adds Brian Daboll "really likes" him when asked about potentially being drafted by the Giants: pic.twitter.com/isdO6CvdYT
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) March 1, 2024
What’s timely about Nabers’ words is how the 20-year-old has consistently been linked to the Giants ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. He’s even earned comparisons to All-Pro Stefon Diggs, who thrived on Daboll’s watch when the latter was offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.
Malik Nabers a Popular Choice for Giants
Mock drafts have been littered with examples of the Giants taking Nabers with the sixth-overall pick. As Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus put it, “Malik Nabers is as explosive and versatile as any receiver in this draft. He is a dynamic threat out wide or in the slot. Brian Daboll could deploy him in a manner similar to when he had Stefon Diggs in Buffalo.”
Any reference to Diggs should excite the Giants about Nabers’ potential. Daboll helped Diggs become a multi-time Pro Bowler for the Bills, often by using crossing routes and play-action passing, things ESPN’s Matt Bowen highlighted in 2021.
Another explosive play reception for Diggs (play-action + crosser). Allen has to make a second-window throw on this rep. @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/81eW0iuQRl
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) May 24, 2021
Using similar schemes would help Daboll get Nabers quickly up to speed in the pros. The potential for this combination likely explains why so many draft scribes see Nabers and the Giants as the perfect match.
Both Walter Football’s Walter Cherepinsky and NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks also view Nabers as the right first-rounder for the Giants. So does the Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings, who brilliantly described Nabers as having “nitrous in his soles and anger in his soul.”
Nabers is a speed mismatch who can stretch the field across the middle and outside the numbers. He can also make contested catches like this one against Texas A&M.
One of the best catches you'll see. The best receiver in football.
Give that man the Biletnikoff @whyguard13 pic.twitter.com/9yXWBlLTmG
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 25, 2023
The Giants haven’t had a playmaker like this since Beckham was in town. Trading OBJ to the Cleveland Browns began a lengthy period of pedestrian passing attacks.
Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen must snap the streak this offseason.
Brian Daboll Needs Go-To Receiver
Owning a top-10 pick in a receiver-rich draft presents Daboll with an excellent opportunity to finally get the Giants a marquee wideout. It doesn’t have to be Nabers if the Giants go the draft route.
There’s also Washington’s Rome Odunze. Like Nabers, Odunze confirmed his meeting with the Giants went well at the Combine, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy: “#Giants are good people. Quizzing me on film. There was joy in the room. I think good things are to come.”
WR Rome Odunze:
‘#Giants are good people. Quizzing me on film. There was joy in the room. I think good things are to come.’ #NFLCombine
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) March 1, 2024
Odunze is another popular pick for the Giants in mock drafts. The Huskies’ wideout makes sense for Big Blue, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., while Garrett Podell of CBS Sports feels the same way.
No matter who Schoen and Daboll choose, the Giants can’t risk trying to fix the receiver position on the cheap again. It didn’t work last season when free-agent arrival Parris Campbell couldn’t get onto the field, while third-round draft pick Jalin Hyatt struggled to earn targets.
Nabers or Odunze would go straight into the lineup as the featured receiver the Giants still need.
