The New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, spurning a quarterback.
The Giants tried to move up to take North Carolina signal-caller Drake Maye, but they were unable to swing a trade and stayed at No. 6 where they chose Nabers.
Many felt that New York would end up rolling with Nabers if it failed to trade up, so this selection does not come as much of a surprise.
A former NFL executive has told the NFL Analysis Network that Big Blue made the right decision.
“After they couldn’t move up to get Drake Maye, moving on from a quarterback with No. 6 was the right move,” the exec said. “None of them are the kind of impact piece that Malik Nabers will be. He’s arguably the most talented wide receiver in this draft even over Marvin Harrison Jr. New York got a lot better with this pick. They may go after a QB later in the first round or second round, but this is a move to solidify a true No. 1 for Daniel Jones.”
The Giants have not had a legitimate No. 1 receiver since Odell Beckham Jr., which was all the way back in 2018. New York has some talented young pieces like Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, but neither player has proven much of anything just yet. They also don’t carry the cachet—or the ability—of Nabers.
Nabers is coming off of a terrific 2023 campaign in which he hauled in 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. He arrived at LSU in 2021, and after a rather uneventful freshman year, he broke out in his sophomore season, catching 72 passes for 1,017 yards and three scores.
Now, Jones will finally have an actual, serious weapon to throw to, which is something he really hasn’t had since taking over as the Giants’ starting quarterback in 2019.
We’ll see what Malik Nabers can bring to the table in the Big Apple next season.
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