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Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.– It took a three-play span in the brutal summer heat at Friday’s New York Giants practice to see what rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers was all about.
The Giants were in a one-on-one period, with Nabers matched against Deonte Banks on every rep. Banks is the best cornerback the team has to offer.
First play, Nabers created several yards of separation at the line of scrimmage as he ran a slant. Easy completion.
Second play, he accelerated downfield and stopped on a dime. Nabers worked his way back to the quarterback for another catch.
Finally, Banks had Nabers blanketed in the red zone. But Nabers managed to keep his body perfectly positioned between the defender and the quarterback to make a tough, contested catch as he went to the ground.
Three plays, three catches, three different ways of achieving a similarly effective result.
“I feel like [this summer is] just an evaluation of what I can do, what I can’t do. … There is not a lot that I can’t do. So as many times as I make plays there are more opportunities that will come my way” Nabers said.
“I think what surprised me with him was, really when I watched his film, he didn’t really have any weaknesses,” fellow Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “Watching him, he catches the ball, moves like a running back. He has great hands. Doesn’t do a lot of body catches, great routes. He doesn’t just do speed, speed, speed. He works his releases, he’s explosive. There’s a lot of things that he’s good at.
“The only thing with him is we just need to keep adding confidence to him, get him to learn the plays. He’s getting there. And once he gets all that down, the sky’s the limit for him.”
If the early portion of training camp is any indication, Nabers is going to make an immediate impact for the Giants. He was targeted eight times on Monday during the first day of joint practices with the Lions and caught all eight passes (although it’s debatable if one deep ball downfield was inbounds). In total, he caught 17 passes on 18 targets over the two days with the Lions and started a brawl on the one that fell incomplete.
Quarterback Daniel Jones lofted the ball to the right pylon and allowed Nabers to run under it on the Monday play in question. Jones and Nabers celebrated as if it was a touchdown. Nabers walked over to the Lions sideline and stared them down to flaunt his dominance. It shows what Jones has learned about his new receiver already.
“When the ball is up in the air, he expects it to be his,” Jones said afterwards. “He’s going to go get it. So he’s got all the physical ability in the world — size, strength, speed, quickness, great hands — and he’s got the attitude that he’s going to get the ball and it’s going to be his. We have to keep working and keep building our chemistry. He’s had a good camp.”
This summer is suggesting Nabers’ workload this upcoming season is going to be massive. A healthy 150-plus targets isn’t out of the question if he plays 17 games. That gives him a chance to be an immediate star.
Most impressive perhaps has been his ability to seemingly hit zero to 60 in one smooth stride. Combine that with everything else he has going for him, and it’s as solid an explanation as any about why he’s consistently creating significant separation at practice against the Giants, and Lions, cornerbacks.
Nabers has been the Giants’ No. 1 wide receiver this summer. The Giants are featuring him in their offense, scheming to get the ball in his hands whenever possible. Daboll even had him call a play during one practice. That’s not a reward generally handed to a rookie.
“He was over by the water cooler. We were getting ready to do a call-it period, so I just walked over, I said, ‘What do you want to run?'” Daboll said last week. “He said, ‘Give me a go ball,’ and I called a go ball.”
The play went for a 50-yard completion from Jones to Nabers down the right sideline. It was one of five downfield connections between the two during the first 10 practices of the summer.
The Giants still don’t think this is the finished product.
“Yeah, I think [the chemistry is] growing every day. Again, Malik’s a rookie. Daniel’s coming back from his surgery,” Daboll said. “Those guys work hard in individual routes. Obviously, in team periods, I think each day it’s gotten better and better. There’s a lot of nuances to the passing game. We ask [Nabers] to do a lot. Maybe it’s a couple of different routes each day to make sure that we’re getting the timing and the rhythm down, and if we need to get it again, we go back to another practice or the practice after that to make sure we’re continuing to build that chemistry.”
The Giants have clearly made it a priority to get Nabers integrated into the offense this summer. Being that it’s imperative for Jones and Nabers to be on the same page, Jones has taken every first-team snap at training camp — despite being cleared days before camp after rehabbing from a torn ACL in his right knee this offseason. Offseason quarterback acquisition Drew Lock hasn’t even sniffed first-team action.
The time on task matters. It’s why Jones and Darius Slayton have worked so well together over the years. Slayton has been the Giants’ top receiver in four of the past five seasons, in part, because of the natural chemistry he has with Jones. The two came in together in the 2019 NFL draft and worked that entire spring and summer on the second-team offense (with Eli Manning still around as the starting quarterback).
That alliance has led to a strong working relationship. This is the kind of connection that Jones and Nabers are looking to build. To this point, Slayton probably has been the best wide receiver that Jones has worked with.
If the early part of the summer has shown anything, that is likely to change.