New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels are both headed into their rookie campaigns after playing together at LSU. The two formed quite a bond with the Tigers and both ended up being top-10 picks in this year’s NFL Draft.
Daniels went No. 2, and Nabers went sixth overall.
The two NFC East stars organized a friendly $10,000 wager with one another about who would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. They—well, Nabers—also publicized it, which probably wasn’t the best idea.
Nabers made the wise decision in walking this bet back, via Ari Meirov. The last thing he and Daniels need is some sort of punishment from the NFL going into their debut seasons.
To be fair to both players, they are just coming out of college, and they are excited. They obviously weren’t thinking about the potential ramifications that could occur, and they also probably knew very little about the league’s full gambling policy (although they probably should have had some clue).
Perhaps the former LSU dynamic duo will be able to devise a bet that does not involve any exchange of monetary resources. That way, they can still do their friendly wager, and they won’t have to worry about being suspended in the process.
Malik Nabers and Jayden Daniels both look NFL-ready
If you had to pick two of the most NFL-ready prospects in this year’s draft class, you couldn’t go wrong with Nabers and Daniels.
Malik Nabers is coming off of a brilliant 2023 campaign in which he hauled in 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also put forth a strong showing in 2022, catching 72 passes for 1,017 yards and three scores. So, the wide out definitely developed some consistency in college.
Then there’s Daniels, who just won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.2 percent of his passes. In addition, he racked up 1,134 yards and 10 scores while averaging an insane 8.4 yards per carry.
Daniels is 23 years old and spent five years in college, with three of them coming at Arizona State before transferring to LSU in 2022. Factoring that into the equation, it’s no surprise that some consider him the most polished quarterback to come out of college this year. Not only did Daniels put forth tremendous numbers in 2023, but he is also experienced.
The question is, who has a better chance of winning Offensive Rookie of the Year?
Nabers should be the clear-cut No. 1 receiver for the Giants, but New York has a shaky quarterback situation. Daniel Jones is coming off of a torn ACL, and other than a solid showing in 2022, he has yet to show he is a legitimate franchise quarterback. That could ultimately negatively affect Nabers’ numbers. Or, Jones could end up flourishing now that he finally has an actual No. 1 wideout for the first time in his NFL career.
Daniels will clearly be asked to do a lot more for the Commanders because, well, he’s the quarterback. He has some decent weapons in Washington, with receiver Terry McLaurin leading the way. We also know that Daniels is a dual threat, so he will rattle off yardage both through the air and on the ground.
These two friends will also be playing each other twice a year for the foreseeable future. Those should be some interesting matchups for sure.
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