Malik Nabers only scratches the surface

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Malik Nabers came to the Giants with high expectations and he has exceeded them.

If Nabers' first two games are an accurate indicator of a long-term trend, then the Giants' sensational rookie wide receiver is at the beginning of a record-breaking career. The sixth pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has 15 receptions and 193 yards on 25 targets.

The 15 catches are the most by a wide receiver drafted in the top 10 in the first two games of his career in the common draft era (since 1967). Among all players, Nabers is tied with running back Reggie Bush in 2006 with New Orleans for second. The record holder with 16 is a running back familiar to Giants fans: Saquon Barkley, who caught a Giants-record 14 passes in his second career game on September 16, 2018 in Dallas.

With his 193 yards in his first two games, Nabers ranks first among all players selected in the top 10 in the Common Draft.

Along with Odell Beckham Jr., he was the only Giants rookie in the Super Bowl era to have over 10 receptions, over 125 receiving yards and a touchdown in a game. Beckham did this four times in 2014.

Nabers is tied with Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin and Las Vegas rookie tight end Brock Bowers for second in the NFL in catches, three behind the Rams' Cooper Kupp. With 193 yards, Nabers is the best of all rookies and ranks fourth overall.

He has six third-down catches, tied with Houston's Nico Collins for second in the league, one behind Godwin.

Naber's 25 goals are second in the league; Kupp has 27.

Last week in Washington, Daniel Jones threw 18 of his 28 passes to Nabers, who caught 10 of them for 127 yards and his first NFL touchdown.

“It's just the work we've put in,” said Nabers, who is looking to help the Giants to their first win of the season and improve his record tomorrow against the Browns in Cleveland. “He's confident that when he throws the ball to me, the play will work or the ball will just get knocked down. The fact that he tackles me so often shows how much confidence he has in me and how much confidence this offense has in me. I'm just going to keep going and keep growing.”

“I want so many targets. It shows how much my offense cares about me getting the ball into open space and letting me do what I can.”

Nabers was an elite receiver at LSU, where he set school records for catches (189) and receiving yards (3,003). From the first day he stepped onto the Giants' practice field, it was clear he could be a difference-maker. His coaches and teammates were increasingly impressed with his team-first attitude and elite skills.

“He's a really good, talented player and I think he takes advantage of his opportunities,” said offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. “We know he's strong both mentally and physically, but he's a team player. He wants everyone to succeed, not just himself. He's one of the first to celebrate with his buddies when they make a good play. I think when he gets the opportunities, he's going to take advantage of them.”

Jones is counting on it. If the game against Washington is a harbinger, he will throw to Nabers at every opportunity.

“He's done a really good job,” Jones said. “He's come in and played well. I think in matchup situations where he's one-on-one with an opponent, he's consistently won and made explosive plays for us. He's done a good job and has been a big help to us so far.”

Even though he'll be playing in just his third career game tomorrow, opposing teams know they'll have to use extra defenders for Nabers. Those one-on-one matchups will become less frequent, and Jones and Nabers will have to find a way to score when the rookie is getting more attention from the defense.

“I think there were moments in the Washington game, certainly not the whole game, but certain moments where you could tell the coverage was changing because of the way he played and the attention he was getting,” Jones said. “We have to be prepared and understand that when you have a player like him and you put him in the spotlight like that, the defense is going to adjust.”

Despite Naber's inexperience, Brian Daboll, as he does with many players, consults with him about what moves the newcomer would like to see.

“Once they're on the team, you have a history with them in training camp,” Daboll said. “You get a feel for the player. You see them every day. You get a feel for how they understand football. Malik is very smart in that regard. Not only does he know where to line up, different spots, different positions, but he has a good feel for how defenses play against him or how certain players play against him. He has good information. He did that in camp. That's how you build trust, during training camp and all the reps. When he comes to me and says, 'Hey, this guy, when I get this split, he lines up here. Think about it.' They're out there. You trust your players. They see it. You can look at a tablet, but they're right out there. So when they give you good information, you use it. When you go through a couple of games where the information isn't very good, you don't use it. But he's an instinctive, instinctive football player, and he's done a good job since he's been here.”

The only blemish on Nabers' NFL record so far is a fourth-down pass he dropped with 2:04 left in the game last week in Washington. But even that was an opportunity for him to show what a special young player he is, especially for someone who turned 21 on July 28. After the game, Nabers stood at his locker and answered every question from a group of reporters, expressing his disappointment at letting down his experienced teammates.

“He's a team player and he's not going to let that one play bother him,” Kafka said. “Obviously he's disappointed about it, but it's just one play and he's going to learn from it and grow from it. When you get beat or lose a snap, you have to get right back on the attack. He didn't get another shot in that game, but if he had another chance, I'm sure he would have made a play.”

Lost in the post-drop noise was the fact that he caught 10 passes and scored a touchdown. Nabers plans to be just as productive tomorrow in Cleveland.

“This is just a moment I have to put behind me,” Nabers said. “(I'm going to) continue to go out and catch extra passes after practice. I've been doing that anyway, but I'm just going to continue to try to make catches afterward.”

“(His performance) gives me confidence. It shows that I can go out here and compete. So I just go out there and try to do the same thing every week.”