It’s been quite some time since the New York Giants had some young players that they could hang their hat on, but this season, that seems to be changing.
In a recent piece by NFL Media listing the top players under the age of 25, the Giants still only landed one player, second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers. But compared to years past, at least it’s something.
Nabers didn’t make the list as a wide receiver, however. He is listed as a “flex” option. Former LSU teammate Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams were listed ahead of Nabers by analyst Nick Shook.
Giants fans are very happy to have Nabers in the Big Apple, especially after he almost singlehandedly kept their offense afloat on many Sundays in 2024. In the final season of the Daniel Jones era, the quarterback treated Nabers like a life raft amid a torrential storm at sea, force-feeding his younger teammate and allowing Nabers to work his magic.
Consider Week 2, when Jones targeted Nabers 18 times to the tune of 10 catches for 127 yards and one touchdown in a close loss to Washington. The other three pass-catchers saw a combined total of nine targets in that game. It became clear that, like Thomas in Jacksonville, Nabers was his team’s best option in the passing attack, eminently capable of making defenders look silly. He did that to the Browns with two touchdown grabs in Week 3 and torched the Colts for seven catches, 171 yards and two scores in a high-flying late-season win.
The Giants have desperately needed a receiver with these capabilities since the heyday of Odell Beckham, and they’ve finally found it in Nabers, who was the first Big Blue player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season since OBJ did it in 2018. I expect Nabers to land on this list for the next two or three years.
Nabers could not be ignored, mainly due to his usage as a rookie. He led the NFL in targets per game (11.0), and his 170 targets were second in the league behind only Ja’Marr Chase (175), while playing in just 15 games.
Nabers finished with 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns despite the team’s poor play from their group of quarterbacks.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants’ Malik Nabers named to NFL’s All-Under 25 Team
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
