LSU’s Malik Nabers says he could be Giants’ first WR1 since OBJ

Last updated: 2024/03/01 at 3:57 PM

BigP Published March 1, 2024

LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers is a potential top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he sees himself as fit for a team that is sitting in that exact range.

“It was a great interview,” Nabers said Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine about his potential fit with the New York Giants, who own the No. 6 pick in the draft. “I feel like the head coach [Brian Daboll], he really likes me a lot. I know they’re still looking for that wide receiver [No.] 1, especially after Odell [Beckham Jr.] left, so if I can come in and be that guy, then so be it.”

Nabers put together an outstanding 2023 campaign for LSU, logging 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. It was the second consecutive season that Nabers logged 1,000-plus receiving yards.

Nabers is in competition with Ohio State‘s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Washington‘s Rome Odunze to be the first wide receiver off the board.

The Giants, of course, selected Beckham with the No. 12 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of LSU, and he instantly became the centerpiece of their offense. Beckham registered 90-plus receptions, 1,300-plus receiving yards, 10-plus receiving touchdowns and earned a Pro Bowl nod in each of his first three seasons with the Giants (2014-16). New York traded Beckham to the Cleveland Browns after the 2018 season and hasn’t had a player register a 1,000-plus receiving yard season since.

[NFL Draft odds: Which team will draft Marvin Harrison Jr.?]

In fact, the Giants boasted one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season, averaging just 169.8 passing yards (31st in the NFL), 110.2 rushing yards (16th), 280.0 total yards (29th) and 15.6 points (30th) per game. They finished 6-11.

Nabers would join a Giants wide receiver room that includes Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt.

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