The hype and excitement is continuing to generate around New York Giants first-round pick Malik Nabers. The Giants selected the elite LSU product with the No. 6 overall draft pick, giving quarterback Daniel Jones a deadly weapon to target in the passing game.
Nabers is entering the NFL with high expectations and lofty comparisons. As one of the 2024 NFL Draft class’s top wide receiver prospects, Nabers is anticipated to quickly become a No. 1 wide receiver for Big Blue. But so far, his teammates have come away rather impressed, seeing similarities in Nabers’s talents with some of the NFL’s top wide receivers.
Darius Slayton views Malik Nabers as a Ja’Marr Chase “clone”
Nabers could be an explosive weapon from the moment he steps on an NFL field. The 20-year-old wideout has no shortage of talent. Coming out of LSU, he is following in the footsteps of incredibly talented wide receivers who came before him — Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase, to name a few.
Chase, in particular, has been brought up frequently in conjunction with Nabers. The two share similar playing styles and athletic profiles, reminding fans when they watch Nabers play of what they saw during a historic 2019 LSU season when Chase racked up 20 touchdowns.
Even fellow Giants playmaker Darius Slayton sees the similarities, describing Nabers as a “clone” of Chase (h/t NBC Sports and Pro Football Talk):
“He’s looked good,” Slayton said during an appearance on the All Facts No Brakes podcast with Keyshawn Johnson. “Honestly in my opinion he reminds me of Ja’Marr Chase, it’s like a clone. Malik’s about six-foot, they’re about the same size. Dimensionaly they’re about the same, his body movements, it’s actually kind of weird watching him move around. He’s really talented, he’s got good hands.”
Chase has gone on to develop into one of the NFL’s best wide receiver talents. The Cincinnati Bengals playmaker has been to the Pro Bowl in all three of his first career seasons, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in each of those campaigns and already racking up 29 touchdowns in his career. The Giants will hope and pray that Nabers has such an immediate impact to kick off his professional career.
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How prolific of a talent are the Giants getting in Nabers?
Nabers just capped off a historically good final collegiate season for the LSU Tigers. He totaled 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns in the record-breaking campaign.
Will Rosenblatt of LSU Wire named Nabers the greatest wide receiver in the history of the college’s football program:
“Putting Nabers at No. 1 could be recency bias, but the numbers back it up,” Rosenblatt wrote. “He’s now LSU’s all-time leader in catches and yards. Setting both records near the end of 2023.”
The Giants’ coveted rookie finished his three-year LSU career with 189 receptions, 3,003 receiving yards, and 21 receiving touchdowns. Nabers was the second wide receiver prospect taken in this year’s draft behind only Ohio State University prospect Marvin Harrison Jr.
Nabers has the talent to transform the Giants’ offense. The G-Men haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. back in 2018 — the longest drought of any team in the NFL. Nabers could end that drought and make it rain as early as his rookie season.
