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New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) speaks during a press conference at the New York Giants training camp at Quest Diagnostics Giants Training Center. Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NY Giants' Malik Nabers Among the Best of the NFL's Young Talent per New List

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Alex House | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 9:19 PM ET

Last season, Malik Nabers cemented himself as the most gifted wide receiver to wear a New York Giants uniform in half a decade.

Despite catching passes from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft recorded 109 receptions to break Steve Smith's single-season franchise record, while also racking up 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns.

And he did all that before turning 22 years old.

Following a splendid rookie campaign, Nabers is one of the top young talents in the NFL. It is hard to deny his tremendous abilities as a pass-catcher after seeing him post big numbers with largely unimpressive quarterback play. The question is, though, where does he rank among the other rising stars?

Mike Jones of The Athletic slotted Nabers at No. 16 when listing the top 25 players age 25 or under. Nabers is ranked fourth in his draft class, coming in behind Washington Commanders quarterback and former LSU teammate Jayden Daniels (No. 3), Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (No. 5), and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (No. 15).

While some fans will regard Bowers as receiver-like based on his skill set, the only actual receivers who are ahead of Nabers in these rankings are All-Pros Ja'Marr Chase (No. 1) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (No. 10).

The Giants have several concerns to address on offense going into the 2025 season, but they can at least take comfort in knowing they have an absolute dynamo running routes for them.

Although Nabers committed some pre-snap penalties and averaged a modest 11.0 yards per catch and 4.4 yards after the catch, he has given fans every reason to believe that he can develop into an elite NFL wideout in due time. That is doubly true if New York's quarterbacks perform competently, both in the present and future.

Can Nabers stay on the field and fulfill his potential?

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There is one element of the Nabers experience that is quite worrisome, however: injuries.

He has already sustained several injuries during his young career. He missed two games with a concussion in his rookie 2024 campaign and has suffered multiple setbacks in this year's training camp.

Nabers spent a chunk of the spring nursing a nagging turf toe injury, which he first sustained with the Tigers. He also hurt his shoulder and, toward the back end of training camp, battled a minor back issue.

If Nabers can stay healthy during the season, validating his spot on The Athletic's list should be easy. While one could argue that he deserves a higher ranking, the league is teeming with youthful excellence. The gap between him and Bowers does feel a bit wide, however.

Like Nabers, the All-Pro and Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up proved he could flourish under sub-optimal circumstances. But the Giants’ top receiver arguably possesses the higher offensive ceiling, and that is saying something. Perhaps Bowers benefits by already being among the best players at his position.

The Lafayette, Louisiana native could soon attain that status as well, though. Furthermore, there is a case to be made that Nabers should be above Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Quinyon Mitchell.

However, and this is important, the latter did noticeably limit the explosive 6-footer when New York and Philly collided last season.

Although Malik Nabers is in a good spot at No. 16 with just one NFL campaign under his belt, no one would be surprised if he does not move up when this topic is revisited next year.

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This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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