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Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) celebrates after a touchdown reception during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

NY Giants WR Malik Nabers Lands on Top 10 Receivers List

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 10:00 AM ET

It's not all that often that a New York Giants player earns significant recognition from the highest levels of leadership within the National Football League, but wide receiver Malik Nabers has managed to quickly put himself on a short list of rarified guys in that regard.

Since he stepped foot on the professional gridiron after being taken No. 6 overall last year, Nabers has been the perfect answer for the Giants organization's prayers for a true No. 1 receiving option, an asset they hadn't had over the past several seasons after Odell Beckham Jr. was traded in 2018.

The LSU product's rapid rise needs very little reminding, as he put his name on the map by building an impeccable rookie campaign that featured a historic statline of 109 receptions on 171 targets for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns and marked the franchise's first 1,000-yard skill position player since Beckham opened his Giants tenure with two consecutive seasons in that range.

All of that in what was largely a miserable 2024 season for the Giants, which made sure that Nabers was championed as one of the best first-year pieces to come out of that draft class with the potential to be a long-term stud.

It seems that many folks are even starting to believe his status will transcend the rookie tag as he looks to shed it in advance of his second rodeo.

That is reflected in the results of a recent poll of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts conducted by ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler, which ranked the top 10 wide receivers in the league ahead of the 2025 season. The Giants' top target was ranked seventh-best among his incumbent peers.

"Nabers has the NFL's full attention," Fowler said in his analysis of Nabers' inclusion in the rankings.

"Surpassing 100 catches and 1,200 yards as a rookie in one of the league's worst offenses with four different quarterbacks is rock-climbing-on-stilts difficult."

"Easily the Giants' best draft pick of the Brian Daboll-Joe Schoen era, Nabers will lead the charge for New York as it transitions at quarterback with Russell Wilson as the bridge and Jaxson Dart as the future."

What is even more exciting from seeing Nabers' name in this esteemed group is the suggestion from one personnel evaluator quoted by Fowler that the receiver's impact on the Giants' offense is just getting started, citing that he hasn't fully tapped into his elite route running abilities.

The reality is that evaluators couldn't be further from the truth. Nabers finished 27th in yards per route run last season at an average of 2.17 yards, but much of that had to be weighed upon the poor performance of the Giants' quarterback room that went through a complete carousel the entire season.

Despite their shortcomings, none of the Giants' four gunslingers achieved an average throw distance above 8.0 yards, and less than 3.6% of their throws entered the big-time throw discussion, often leaving Nabers fighting to make the small catches that kept plays alive and drives moving.

Even with the lack of a deep ball passer, Nabers still flashed his gifted catch radius and side-stepping ability to become one of the game's most versatile and dangerous pass catchers.

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He will soon pair up with Russell Wilson, who was among the best signal callers at firing the vertical shots, and should open up his new teammate's route a lot more than what we already saw last season.

Wilson has even publicly stated his enthusiasm for getting to work with a receiver of Nabers's caliber, one whose early numbers vastly outpaced any of the options in his arsenal during his lone season in Pittsburgh.

The duo could elevate each other's games to the next level and surprise many around the league, as the Giants hope to showcase a more explosive unit.

The only keys to letting Nabers run wild again this season are his health and that of the offensive line, which has always been the singular factor in the Giants' offense's general success, which only deteriorated after the starting front started catching different ailments.

Nabers also needs to protect the football, as he hung near the top of the league in drops for his lone weakness in a solid debut.

If those elements all come together for Nabers, he can continue to serve as that fancy toy in the team's huddle that other franchises will be envious of and that defenses will have to prepare extra hard to slow down on Sundays and make the Giants beat them with the rest of their supporting cast.

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

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