4 early predictions for Malik Nabers in his rookie season with the Giants

As with the first prediction, the biggest hurdle for Nabers to achieve this goal will be the state of the team’s quarterback play. If Daniel Jones elevates his performance , Nabers should reach 10 touchdowns with ease and could potentially threaten to reach 13 or even 15 trips to the end zone.

Even with bad quarterback play, though, Nabers should still reach the threshold of double-digit touchdowns. After losing Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, the Giants offense is completely devoid of proven playmakers.

They’ll need somebody to step up as the go-to target for Jones or whoever is under center, and Nabers should quickly make a name for himself as a star receiver. The Giants will likely force-feed him the ball as the only player that keeps opposing defensive coordinators awake at night, and the young star will answer the call. Not only will he be fed a steady dose of targets, but he’s an elite playmaker and a threat to take the ball to the house anytime he touches it.

The LSU product excels at making defenders miss and breaking off big gains after the catch. This will be important given the current state of the Giants’ offense. A lot of Nabers’ receptions will likely be on short passes with the onus on him to make something happen once he has the ball in his hands.

Nabers is a physical receiver who dominates at the catch point, and you can expect the Giants to feature him heavily in the red zone. He’ll likely see a consistent diet of 50/50 balls in the end zone, and the only reason he won’t reach double-digit touchdowns from these types of plays alone is because the Giants will struggle to get into the red zone consistently.

The young star will likely record at least five touchdowns within the red zone, and possibly more. If we stick with five and then give him two touchdowns from short receptions where he makes the defender miss and creates scoring plays himself, that puts Nabers at 7 total touchdowns. Three more from broken plays or deeper routes should be a fairly easy goal for Nabers to reach, and this alone will put him at 10 touchdowns.

He develops a reputation as a physical blocker

One of the primary concerns around the former LSU Tiger has been rumors of a “high maintenance” and “diva-like” personality. It seems unfair to give a player that label without them having a real chance to defend themselves. Nabers hasn’t quit on his team, thrown obvious temper tantrums or done anything to really deserve to be labeled as such. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to shed that reputation once you have been labeled with it, and everything that Nabers does will be under a microscope. This was already true playing for the Giants in front of the New York media, but he will be under even more of a microscope given the diva label.

The best way for a wide receiver to shed accusations of being a diva is to dominate in the blocking game. Blocking is all effort for little personal reward, and being a willing and physical blocker shows that a player cares more about the team than himself.

Jalin Hyatt records 75+ receptions

This prediction isn’t about Nabers directly, but his presence is what will make it possible. Expect the talented rookie to establish himself as the Giants’ WR1 by the middle of the season, which will result in defenses paying extra attention to him. If Nabers can start commanding the respect of opponents and drawing double coverage during his rookie year, Jalin Hyatt should be a beneficiary of this development. Hyatt only had 23 receptions last season, but with opposing defenses focusing zeroing in on Nabers, Hyatt is due for a significant jump in both targets and receptions.