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

This Giants Player Named Among Top 25 Under 25

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated May 21, 2025 1:00 PM ET

When the New York Giants drafted rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall last year, they knew that their roadmap back to prosperity needed more than just finding the right prospect to fill the gaping void at the quarterback spot, which Daniel Jones held at that time.

After attempting to push for one of the top signal callers in the 2024 class to eventually replace Jones, but coming up short, the Giants' most significant step they could take was to add a true No. 1 receiving threat to boost the offensive huddle that had only respectable role players.

While he may have been viewed as a consolation prize to some at the time, the Giants' selection of Nabers would have been the best possible prelude target for their future quarterback heir to come and throw to down the road.

The Giants’ offense was abysmal last season due to several factors, with the lack of a consistent passer at the forefront of the debacle. However, the LSU receiver was never a part of the problem. Instead, he was the sole reason for Giants fans to stay engaged and excited about the future of the offense, as Nabers showed flashes of the elite player he could be in their system with a strong debut resume.

Nabers took over the receiver position with his speed and incredible catching abilities all over the field. He finished the season with the seventh-best statline of 1,204 yards (11.0 average) and seven touchdowns. He was active in almost every game with an average of 80.3 yards per contest and did extra damage with 462 yards after catch (YAC).

Heading into his sophomore campaign as a pro, there is always the concern for the traditional slump that envelops promising rookie players, but that isn’t the opinion of a new analysis by Pro Football Focus that sees Nabers as a member (No. 15) of the top 25 players under the age of 25 entering the 2025 NFL season.

“Nabers is the closest rookie receiving threat to Brock Bowers coming out of 2024, and depending on which metric you want to favor, there’s a reasonable argument he could be ahead of him on this list,” PFF writer Jonathon Macri said of the ninth offensive player in his analysis.

Macri added, “Nabers was also the only rookie wide receiver to crack the top 10 in PFF WAR in 2024, ranking as the Giants’ most valuable player in that regard by a significant margin.”

If there was one other area where Nabers took the throne from almost any competing pass catcher in this age range, it was his status as a deep-level threat beyond the short range where other Giants receivers typically earned their payday.

According to PFF, Nabers held 29 targets on throws of at least 20 yards downfield and averaged 30.9 yards on seven receptions and two touchdowns within those looks, which landed second in the league among first-year players.

The only rookie who did better than that was Jaguars’ receiver Brian Thomas, who also finished first among novices in the position group in total receiving yards (1,282).

Still, he wasn’t as impactful in producing wins for his team as Nabers and Bowers were last fall, the latter two guys earning higher overall receiving grades (88.4 and 87.1) than Thomas.

One of the most obvious yet rare examples of impacting wins for Nabers and the Giants came in Week 17 against the Indianapolis Colts, a game the franchise needed to likely salvage its regime for the immediate future.

Even with all the injuries to the lineup and a meaningless outcome, Nabers performed at his greatest to create his first breakout game as a pro, tallying seven catches for 171 yards and two scores to notch the team’s sole home victory at MetLife Stadium.

He averaged 24.4 yards per catch in that workload and showed he’s not a player who books it in when there seems like no light at the end of the tunnel.

What should not be ignored is that he did all he did for the offense without being paired with a consistent quarterback. Jones was released 10 games into the 2024 season, and New York spent the final seven weeks spinning the carousel around three other gunslingers who never gave the Giants the major spark they sought from their big midseason change.

In 2025, Nabers will have a proven teammate in Russell Wilson, who will be able to meet him halfway through the operation of a more explosive system. Wilson was one of the top 15 quarterbacks for passing attempts that found over 20+ air yards last season, completing half of his attempts for 697 yards and a 5-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Wilson’s status as Nabers’ other half in the passing equation will depend on how he navigates the entire offense when the season kicks off in a few months. If he performs poorly, there will be a push to turn towards rookie arm Jaxson Dart, whom the Giants drafted because of his ideal intangibles for a dual-threat, vertical offense.

Nabers will also open up more opportunities for the receivers around him, like Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson, who are both looking to return to being core pieces of the aerial attack after dismal years with poor quarterback play. The Giants don’t want to be dangerous with only one guy, but they know how much one person can change the complete product.

It all sets up for a more fruitful second season for Nabers and company despite entering one of the NFL’s most brutal schedules with a .574 opponent winning percentage. The Giants' most electric weapon hasn’t even reached his prime yet; in fact, it’s just been getting started, and now he is part of the national conversation on the most prominent young faces of the sport.

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