LSU Receiver Malik Nabers Can Bring "Dawg Mentality" to Giants Offense
LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers can help the New York Giants.
The 6-foot, 200-pounder believes that, and the Giants, a team that has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2018 when another LSU receiver by the name of Odell Beckham Jr ruled the Big Blue roost, is intrigued as well by what he potentially has to offer.
"I just think my versatility on the field," Nabers said when asked what he feels he has to offer an NFL team. "I've shown all the skills that can translate to the NFL at a high level and different facets of my game, and I think who I am as a person, who I am in the locker room, who I will be in the community are all A-plus.
"I think a lot of people underrate my speed, my explosiveness. I see a lot of that on tape and my separation as well. I don't know where those things come from. If you watch the entire tape, you'll see."
Those are all tantalizing qualities that scream "No. 1 receiver." So it was no surprise that the Giants used one of their allotted formal meetings at the combine to sit with Nabers to talk a little ball.
"It was good. It was good," Nabers said of the meeting with the Giants. "The Giants are good people. We were laughing in there a little bit. They were quizzing me on some film. Getting to know who I was, and I was getting to know them. It went well. I was excited to meet them.
"I feel like they are good dudes, honestly; they just seem like they had joy in the room; they were excited about the process; they knew ball, of course, and were excited about their future. I think good things to come."
After spending his last collegiate season as Jayden Daniels' primary season during his Heisman Trophy-winning season, Nabers is projected to be one of the first receivers drafted this year.
"He is a great person outside of football," Jayden Daniels, the quarterback who threw to Nabers this past season (and one of the signal callers also believed to be on the Giants' radar), told reporters at the combine.
"He is a hard worker and very competitive, so two competitive people are trying to push each other to bet better every day. That’s my brother, and I love him to death. Without him, I wouldn’t be in a situation like this.
Daniels described his soon-to-be former teammate as being "very physical" and "very explosive," adding, "I have never seen the first person tackle him after he catches the ball."
Nabers, who isn't short on self-confidence, argues that he's the best receiver in this draft given his ability to win many of his matchups, no matter where he lines up.
"I'm able to go outside and win, and I'm able to go in the slot. I'm able to be moved around and create space on a linebacker. I carry the ball pretty good. A different offense can move me around and still got that dawg mentality," he said.
That "dawg mentality" is the key behind Nabers' ability to make big plays.
"When that ball is in the air, it's mine," he said. "When I get the ball in my hands, I'm able to do tremendous things with it. Create space on different DBs and be able to make explosive plays downfield. Take an 8-yard route and turn it into a touchdown."
This type of production is exactly what the Giants' offense needs a lot more of in the coming seasons.
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