Is New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers already one of the league’s best at the position? NFL executives, coaches, and scouts believe he is.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler continued his top-10 rankings per position on Wednesday morning, and the polled experts had nothing but good things to say about the second-year wideout, who checked in at No. 7 overall.
“He can go 0 to 60 in three seconds like a Ferrari, but he’s built like a truck,” an NFL personnel evaluator said of Nabers. “And he’s not even an elite route runner yet. Just wait until that happens.”
“Some guys are just different,” an NFC defensive coach said. “You don’t have to watch him long to know that.”
As a rookie, Nabers broke several league and franchise records despite a revolving door of underwhelming quarterbacks at the helm. That begs the question: What can he do with better QB play and a year of experience under his belt?
Nabers has the NFL’s full attention. Surpassing 100 catches and 1,200 yards as a rookie in one of the league’s worst offenses with four different quarterbacks is rock-climbing-on-stilts difficult. The receptions total is the second most by a rookie in NFL history behind Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (112).
Easily the Giants’ best draft pick of the Brian Daboll-Joe Schoen era, Nabers will lead the charge for New York as it transitions at quarterback with Russell Wilson as the bridge and Jaxson Dart as the future.
The Giants force-fed Nabers with 171 targets, second in the league behind Chase. Nabers proved he could handle the major workload by not breaking down and still side-stepping defenders. Nabers’ 19 forced missed tackles topped all rookie receivers.
It’s clear the Giants have a superstar on their hands. Now it’s up to general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll to ensure they don’t waste it like the organization did with Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: NFL coach on New York Giants’ Malik Nabers: ‘Some guys are just different’
Reporting by Dan Benton, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
