Giants WR Malik Nabers Reflects on Rookie Season

The Giants' leading pass catcher has experienced a lot in his rookie campaign, but it has also given him some valuable takeaways to carry into 2025.

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

For most football players, making the transition from college to the NFL can be an arduous one. Still, to Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has turned his debut into one of the best stints in the whole league, the approach starts with having the right support system around to elevate his game.

Coming into East Rutherford nine months ago as the No. 6 overall selection, Nabers had everything the franchise wanted out of its new No. 1 receiving option. He played in one of the most competitive conferences in college football at one of the powerhouse schools for the position and turned it into two 1,000-yard campaigns with 21 touchdowns with his deep-caliber skillset. 

Still, the All-American and All-SEC receiver knew there were things he had to learn and understand before he could excel at the professional level. The NFL competition is light years tougher than he had seen, and the matchups have become way more technical, with experienced veterans bumping him up on Sundays. 

Once he arrived at the team facilities, there was no better direction for a young player to take. Nabers went straight to one of his elders in the same position group, Darius Slayton, whom he credited with helping him set up the right foundation for a successful entry into the next phase of his career.

“I always asked Slay (Darius Slayton) when I first got here and I first started seeing him move around. There are some things that he would do,” Nabers said about forging a connection with his early mentor and teammate. 

“Whether it's his releases that were so quick or just how he gets in and out of his breaks. I’d ask him about coverage, too. He's the vet guy in our room. So, when we are playing a new opponent, he always has the tape on DBs (defensive backs), instructing us what things to use to beat the DB and stuff like that. So, it's always good to have him. He's been a really good mentor of mine, asking him many questions throughout the year.”

The early tutelage has worked well for Nabers, who has become the instant spark plug for a lackluster Giants offense that needs it. While they boasted one of the worst units in overall production metrics, they at least had their athletic and dangerous man to dish the ball in any space and earn the critical yardage to compete.

Nabers got off to a hot start within his first month of the season, scoring two 100-yard outings in the Giants first four games while adding three touchdowns. 

With the target shares going heavily in his favor, he was constantly leading the receiving efforts en route to one of the best rookie seasons in franchise and NFL history that now sits over 100 catches and 1,000 yards for the first time since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014. 

Despite his immense dedication from the start, it wouldn’t always be smooth sailing. As the season wore on, the Giants had a lot more trouble feeding their main weapon as opposing defenses began throwing double teams and other complicated looks at the entire offense to force it in a different direction. 

Nabers went through an eight-game slump, during which he didn’t surpass 70 yards receiving in six games and could not secure a single point for his team. This led to bouts of frustration on his part, which became vocal as the Giants shuffled through quarterbacks and seemingly didn’t make their top target the focus of their offensive game plan in some of their blowout losses.

However, being the consummate professional he has quickly become, Nabers knew that righting the ship and meeting his potential would require a two-way solution and falling back on the resources at his disposal to lift him up. 

Beyond his mentor in Slayton, that meant falling back on the greatest tool that tells all in the game of football–his film–which unveiled how his internal frustrations impacted his performance just as much as external factors.

“Right. I mean, guys have been doing a great job – that's why they play in the league – they’ve been doing a great job at their job. Tackling. Rallying to the football. But I took some time out to look at my old film, had a talk with my old coach, stuff like that.”

“I actually looked back before that game. I was looking at my YAC (yards after catch) in college and I was like, ‘What was I missing?’ And it was like, I wasn't really scared. I was just out there when I got the ball, I was just running. But now, the guys are trying to hit out here. But I played free. I played with no regrets. So, I went out there and just was myself. It showed.”

The game in question was Nabers’ breakout display against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium in the home finale last Sunday when he exploded to the tune of 171 yards and two touchdowns, knocking the ceiling off his season-high and the 1,000-yard mark with his teammate and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. to become the third rookie duo to notch those special stats.

As he played freely and focused on doing his part in his routes, he quickly discovered the ball coming to him more often, enabling him to discern the faults in his opponent’s defensive attack that led to some of the game's biggest plays. 

None were more noticeable than the two grabs of 31 and 59 yards that Nabers took to the house after splitting two corners and beating them in space down the right sidelines. 

It was the perfect reminder that he needed for the rest of his career that the game of football isn’t just about creating separation and earning all the big plays. The Giants were missing that element of a gritty team performance for most of their 10-game losing skid, and they finally found it in a 45-point explosion that rewarded Nabers as being the offensive centerpiece and helped find that ultimate mindset moving forward into year two.  

“I wouldn't compare it at all,” Nabers said, saying he had learned about the transition from college to the league. “But, like I said before, this league has older guys. They got families to feed. So, they're playing their hearts out.”

“I had a lot of great mentors on my back, on my side, and in my ear, pushing me to be who they know I can be. I expected everything that I did this year. I expected more. But the things that I've done so far, I'm not surprised that I did it.

“It's to show that we're not quitting. We still got one more game left. So, we're going to try to go out there and finish strong and hopefully get our bodies back right and carry on for the next year.”

Beyond the in-game improvements, what will also matter is taking the extra steps to ensure he stays on the gridiron and impacts his team at a high level. What made Nabers’ campaign more impressive was his production in the face of different ailments that would have either slowed down or kept others sidelined and how he sacrificed for the good of his squad.

While he set lofty goals and met them, the injuries were still hampering him from what could have been, including a concussion suffered in Week 4 that cost him two starts and a couple of lower body injuries to his hip and the toe that nearly sidelined him in Week 17 and the rest of the season.

Having that early test in perseverance will give Nabers a greater appreciation for how the NFL timeline is a much longer one that demands way more of an individual’s body as it does their mind. It’s already making him hungrier to ensure he stays in quality shape all spring and summer in the leadup to his second rodeo in late August.

This is why the rookie revealed that the next step in his progression as the current season closes is to ensure he finishes with a win and builds a plan for remaining a consistent presence in the Giants’ offense and mirroring the immense year he has as just a wide-eyed rookie despite a difficult situation as that in East Rutherford in 2024.

He wants to remain the “old reliable” that he has been and seen from other players on the roster like Slayton and defensive end Brian Burns, and that’s who he’s falling back on to develop the proven script for a workout routine and maintaining his body until training camp and a run that hopefully reaches greater distances in 2025.

“Like you said, it's been a long season. But anytime I can go get a cold plunge, go into a hyperbaric chamber, red light therapy, having my own massage team at home or just getting extra work when I'm outside the building. I’m doing stuff to prevent stuff from happening.”

“I started getting that routine in the middle of the season. My body felt great. But if I can continue to do that in the beginning of the season who knows how my body is going to feel. I might get through the season a little bit easier, without the nicks and bruises. Having that plan down now, leading into next year, will probably be better.”

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