Malik Nabers Reminiscent of Jefferson And Chase: Sauce Gardner

Malik Nabers Reminiscent Of Jefferson And Chase: Sauce Gardner

Malik Nabers and the Giants visited the crosstown rival Jets for a preseason scrimmage today and it had plenty of talking points. The most notable of course surrounded the sixth pick from this past year’s drafts. All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner gave the former LSU wideout a glowing compliment to join the list of many others. Read his comments below that came after the pair squared off:

“He remind me of like an LSU receiver,” the All-Pro corner said, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. “Kind of a little (Cincinnati Bengals wideout) Ja’Marr Chase, a little bit. A little (Minnesota Vikings receiver) Justin Jefferson.” [He will be a] “pretty good player.”

Big Blue had a laundry list of needs following their abysmal 2023 season. After free-falling through the first half of the season, a second half push led by rookie Tommy DeVito kept their playoff hopes alive. However, it was all for naught as they flamed out to a 6-11 record. Since they were not bad enough to land a pick in the Top Four to land a QB, they were severely limited and ultimately fell on a guy they hope could end up like other former Tiger receivers.

Take a look at the video Trey and I did that covered the Giants’ offseason moves from the HBO Hard Knocks series. It takes a good look into a lot of big decisions they made, including picking Nabers in the first round. Whether they made the right decisions or not, however, is a different article for a different day.

Next Up?

Nabers clearly has the tools for becoming a great player in the league. Obviously, a situation with a better QB would lend for a smoother development path but he has nothing but time. Another talking point in the video of course is Daniel Jones. With a guy that stacks up as a future #1 receiver the former Duke quarterback might have a lifeline of sorts. It’s clear he might think that way as he is targeting Nabers constantly in scrimmages and practices. Check out how he fared against the Jets:

Malik Nabers today (11-on-11, 7-on-7)
– 6 targets
– 3 catches
– 1 drop (potential TD)

The #Giants rookie caught just one pass when matched up on #Jets CB Sauce Gardner, that I saw. It came in 7-on-7 drills. Went against DJ Reed more often.

We don’t have access to all-22…

— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 21, 2024

Regardless, as Trey and I discussed, the only way the Giants have any shot of doing anything in 2024 is if the offensive line figures it out. Joe Schoen opted to invest there via free agency rather than the draft. Having a shiny new receiver really doesn’t mean much if Jones or whoever is under center has time to throw it to him.

Josh Allen Isn’t Complaining About His Contract And Easily Could

Malik Nabers will in all likelihood continue to get praised around the league. His college tape showed what he is capable of but it may take time to translate to the NFL.

SUBSCRIBE