Moving onto the second wide receiver of our 2024 NFL Draft landing spot series, Malik Nabers joined the New York Giants via the sixth overall selection. Blessed with a fantastic blend of speed, athleticism, and verticality, Nabers is a perfect first step to fixing the wide receiver core for the Giants.
The biggest concern for the Giants is their glaring issue at quarterback, which now includes Daniel Jones and Drew Lock fighting for the top spot. While neither option is the clear-cut starter, one of these options likely will be the starter out of camp, something that ultimately will lessen Nabers’ impact in his rookie campaign.
Overall Situation & Supporting Cast
It goes without question that Nabers is the best receiving threat that the Giants have, and it isn’t close. With options like Jalin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Darren Waller surrounding him, the talent to really compete for targets really isn’t a threat to Nabers.
What is going to be the biggest wild card is how the quarterback competition shakes out between Jones and Lock.
With the former being the incumbent option on a big-money deal that has been far from worth it, the latter was brought this offseason to hopefully bring a much-needed spark to the QB room.
Jones has been too injury riddled to really get a full run as the team’s signal caller, but when he has been out there, there have been way more questions than answers produced by his play. Even after his lone good season that saw the Giants throw a ton of money at him, Jones has failed to back that up, and even though he has optimism about his '24 season, it does not look like he will ever become the unquestioned starter.
For Lock, his resurgence comes on the heels of appearing in four games last season with the Seattle Seahawks. With Geno Smith going down with a few injuries, Lock stepped in and looked fairly decent, including a 269-yard, 2-TD showing against the 49ers in Week 14 last season.
All in all, Nabers is not walking into a situation with a ton of help, which will be the polar opposite of his situation at LSU. While his talent alone will be good enough in some situations, he likely will struggle at times without any NFL-caliber help around him.
Year 1 Expectations
Without knowing who he will be catching the ball from, projections for Nabers are a bit tough to forecast. Granted, the difference between Jones and Lock isn’t big enough to skew his results, but both QBs are different in how they move the ball down the field.
It is quite clear that Nabers will be tasked with the WR1 role in this New York offense, likely in many situations where they are playing from behind. Expecting Nabers to fill the stat sheet as well as Marvin Harrison Jr. and maybe even Rome Odunze might be a bit foolish, but a sixth overall selection has to produce in year one.
Nabers has the archetype to overcome the shortcomings of his offense, but his skills will be put to a real test in his rookie season. Being able to rely on both Jayden Daniels and Brian Thomas Jr. in the LSU offense helped take some pressure off Nabers, but no one outside of Nabers is really on that level.
With Barkley no longer with the G-Men, the run game is without their leading contributor. Whether it be Jones or Lock behind center, Nabers will need to carry the load right out of the gate.
2024 Stat Projections – 67 receptions, 989 receiving yards, 5 TDs
Fantasy Football Impact
Redraft formats love to sink their hooks into a fresh crop of rookies, which is exactly what happened with the likes of Bijan Robinson, Ja’Marr Chase, Garrett Wilson, and others in recent memory. And while each of those players returned on those early investments, you may want to think twice about that same move for Nabers.
It has been tough sledding for any skill player on the Giants’ offense to be fantasy relevant, especially with so many questions at quarterback. The likes of Hyatt, Robinson, Slayton, Robinson, and Waller have all struggled to hold any value, and Nabers, while in a better role than those names, likely will struggle too.
You always want to target players that have guaranteed high-usage roles for your fantasy football team, and that should hold true for Nabers in 2024. But unlike other highly-drafted rookies, Nabers may need to weather a season of QB uncertainty, making his fantasy value unpredictable.
In the dynasty landscape, he is a sure-fire WR2 (or WR3 if you prefer Odunze) option right out of the gate, regardless of QB questions. The ideal part of playing in a dynasty league is how often situations change, and while the Giants understand they need an upgrade at QB (and tried in the 2024 NFL Draft), hopefully they will have clarity next season.
Landing Spot Grade
Grade: B+
The worst grade of all offensive players in our landing spot series (so far) goes to Nabers, but it’s more based on situation than skill. Nabers enters an unfortunate offensive situation that has no solution in sight at QB.
Yes, Lock was signed this offseason to challenge Jones this season, and both players should be better because of it. But it is tough enough for a rookie wide receiver to pick up the game at the NFL, much less with two quarterbacks throwing him the ball.
Nabers will be fine skill-wise, as he was at one point in the conversation to be the first receiver off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft. A threat at all three levels, Nabers is in line to become the next great LSU receiver to wear the red and blue – but how much will questions at QB slow down his rookie season?
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