New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers will head into the 2024 NFL season with advice from a teammate of his that may accelerate his maturation throughout the year.
Nabers came out of LSU as a highly touted wideout with superstar potential. Fortunate for the Giants, he fell to No. 6 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and was too good for general manager Joe Schoen to pass up on. Amazingly, the 21-year-old old has exceeded expectations this offseason, exhibiting brilliance in practice and at the podium following Giants’ practices.
While the hype for Nabers is real, words of wisdom that he’s received from Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux regarding his goals in the NFL could keep his mind where it needs to be from a preparation standpoint in 2024.
Giants LB Kayvon Thibodeaux has preached consistency to WR Malik Nabers this summer
Thibodeaux had this to say about what he’s told Nabers during Tuesday’s training camp practice regarding how he should approach every week, as SNY shared on X:
“I tell him stay consistent, you know. We had a talk about goals, and I’ve been a guy who’s set goals, and I know he’s a kid who has big goals for himself, but you’ve gotta know that, you know, you may not reach them. Or, it may come in a different way. Or, it may be a situation of adversity that you have to bear through,” Thibodeaux said. “And, just stay consistent as possible and just continue to find the things you can grow at each week.”
Nabers could flourish in 2024 if he gives ear to Thibodeaux’s words
Thibodeaux, 23, is not much older than Nabers, but has a couple of years under his belt in the league that show that he’s practiced what he preached to the promising young talent. Thibodeaux rose his sacks total from four to 11.5 from 2022 to 2023, in only three additional starts. The Oregon product was among the better linebackers in football last time out and is out to break Giants legend Michael Strahan’s single-season sacks record of 22.5 from 2001 this year. He’s also seen the Giants go from a 9-7-1 playoff team to a 6-11 struggling franchise in his tenure.
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He would know better than most how to not only achieve progression throughout a season, but year-over-year also. Nabers will be subject to a world of scrutiny playing in the New York market before the New York media. He’ll also carry a heavy burden as the Giants’ presumed WR1, even with a talented three-man ensemble of pass-catchers playing alongside him next season.
The Louisiana native could hit the ground running and contend for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year — an award that has been given to wide receivers in two of the last three seasons. Conversely, he could hit rough patches as a rookie, as is the case with the majority of young talents that enter the NFL. One way or the other, paying attention to detail, taking things one week at a time, and following a mold that mirrors that of Giants offensive lineman John Michael Schmitz — finding one thing at a time to consistently improve in his game — can help him translate the 17.6 yards per reception and 14 REC touchdowns he notched in his junior season with the Tigers to MetLife Stadium.
