After weeks of speculation on what New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen was going to do with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he selected wide receiver Malik Nabers out of LSU.
Giants fans were elated over the pick as they should be. The Giants finally have a true number one receiver since the last time they took an LSU wide receiver in that of Odell Beckham Jr. a decade ago. In his final season at LSU, Nabers caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. Now for the first time in his career, Daniel Jones will have a legitimate number one receiving threat.
Not only does the 6-foot, 200-pound wideout make New York’s offense more dynamic, but he should also be considered one of the favorites to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Despite Marvin Harrison being taken two spots ahead of him by the Arizona Cardinals, some believed Nabers was the best receiver in the draft. He’ll get a chance to prove it on a team that he’ll be targeted often each game.
Related: 2024 NFL Draft tracker
Malik Nabers had an outstanding college career
He was the nation’s top wide receiver as a junior in 2023, earning unanimous consensus All-America honors
along with First-Team All-America recognition from the Associate Press, to go along with his long list of accomplishments.
- First-Team All-SEC (AP, SEC Coaches)
- SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week vs. Mississippi State (2023)
- 2023 Citrus Bowl MVP
- Biletnikoff Award Finalist (2023)
- 2021 Freshman All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Nabers can play on the outside as well as the slot and is excellent in run-after-catch. He’s also poised to break New York’s dubious streak of not having a 1,000-yard receiver since 2018.
Some were expecting the team might take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy since the team seems poised to move on from Jones after the season. But taking Naber was the right pick, he’s a player who can help the team win now, and later on whenever the team decides to draft Jones’ successor. Besides, receivers tend to have better success than quarterbacks as rookies over the last few seasons
With the loss of Saquon Barkley, the offense was void of a dynamic playmaker at the skill position, but now they have a player who can provide instant offense through the passing game which has been sorely missing for a long time.
The team is still a long way from being contenders, but now Schoen and head coach Brain Daboll have selected a player who has a chance to be one of the best in the league at his position and help lead the team to success for many years to come.
