New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers caught some passes, threw some punches, and now enters his first-ever NFL preseason game already looking like Big Blue’s undisputed No. 1 playmaker.
Over two days of heated, joint practices with the Detroit Lions — a team that was just one win away from an NFC Championship last season — the LSU product caught 17 of the 18 targets that quarterback Daniel Jones threw his way.
One stood out more than most as Jones lofted a deep ball down the right sideline and toward the pylon of the end zone, which Nabers managed to run down for the touchdown. He then made sure to go past the Lions’ sideline just to make sure they all saw it.
Consider it a moment of realization.
“I can compete with these guys in the league,” Nabers said after those practices. “That was just the main thing. Just going against somebody else before the season starts. Let’s see what I need to work on. Getting my plays down. That’s really about it. Just continue to be me. That’s all I can say. I have talked to myself, ‘Just continue to be me.’”
On the lone incompletion that was intended for him on Tuesday, he began throwing punches after being confronted by Detroit safety Kerby Joseph to spark yet another scuffle between the two teams.
“It’s hot. We’re competing,” Nabers said, who did not dwell too much on the incident. “Stuff like that is going to happen. It’s football at the end of the day… I’m a competitive person. I’m able to go out and play with these guys. There’s a lot of work to be done, a lot of mistakes that I’ve made when I was out there.”
Still, the 21-year-old appears to be the most explosive of pass-catching threats within a Giants‘ new-look offense that will be without Saquon Barkley but has attempted to flank Jones with as many dependable, playmaking receivers as possible.
Nabers, who is still adjusting to the speed of the pro game, joins a young receiving core that features Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt but is supported by veterans Darius Slayton and Allen Robinson.
“The game is fast,” he said. “The level of competition is very high. That’s really about it. There are plays to be made when the ball is thrown in the air, that’s a bit of it.”
After being selected No. 6 overall at the 2024 Draft, Nabers went right to work with one of the best receivers in the game, Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders. He credits it as one of the reasons why he has been able to hit the ground running so quickly as a pro, which will receive its first true test on Thursday night in the Giants’ preseason opener against Detroit at 7 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.
His quarterback, however, is expecting him to pass with flying colors as he did earlier this week.
“I think he can do everything,” Jones said. “His competitive spirit, his drive. I think when the ball’s up in the air, he expects it to be his, and he’s going to go get it. He’s got all the physical ability in the world, and size, strength, speed, quickness, great hands, and he’s got the attitude that he’s going to go get the ball, and it’s going to be his.
“We’ve got to keep working and keep building our chemistry, but I thought he’s had a good camp.”
