Giants Star Ranks Highly Among 2024 Draft Picks

With the New York Giants descending upon the 2025 NFL Draft, general manager Joe Schoen is poised to make a tenure-defining decision. Choosing between Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, two-way star Travis Hunter, and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter will be an indictment of Schoen’s priorities and how he reckons with his waning job security.

Simply put, if whoever he picks has the same kind of success that receiver Malik Nabers had in 2024, New York will be in a much better place.

Nabers, the second receiver taken in his class and the sixth-overall pick, immediately established himself as a rising star and a blue-chip pillar for the team’s long-term plans. He set the league on fire and put analysts on notice.

Subsequently, the Giants star received massive praise ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, as Fox Sports ranked the 10 best picks of the 2024 class.

“Nabers was one of the only glaring bright spots in an otherwise dark, 3-14 season for the Giants,” Fox Sports wrote. “In 15 games, Nabers totaled 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, helping him earn a Pro Bowl nod and finish ninth among receivers with an 86.7 overall grade, per PFF.

“Leading the Giants in all three of the aforementioned categories despite catching passes from four different quarterbacks, Nabers' 109 receptions set a new single-season franchise record.”

Nabers ranked third, behind just Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. There’s little to quibble with at the top of that list. Daniels single-handedly changed the trajectory of his franchise. Bowers had a similar impact to Nabers from the middle of Round 1. Nabers and Bowers jostled for the all-time rookie receptions record, with the latter finishing just three catches ahead with 112.

Ultimately, Nabers – despite missing two games – logged 170 targets for 109 receptions, 1,204 yards, and seven scores. He did so with bottom-barrel quarterbacking and rivaled New York legend Odell Beckham Jr.’s rookie season anyway.

He’s on a similar path to stardom, and he makes the supporting cast for a rookie quarterback, whenever they may arrive, that much better. With improved quarterback play essentially guaranteed, Nabers is primed to explode in 2025.