Malik Nabers knows exactly how he wants to make his grand entrance into the NFL when the New York Giants take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the 2024 season on Sunday.
Giants’ Malik Nabers is hungry for a TD catch in his NFL debut
Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Nabers recently came out and declared that he wants to snag a touchdown grab in front of his home fans at MetLife Stadium and add a cherry on top of the career milestone with a signature dance in the end zone:
“I’m expecting the fans, when I catch a first down or a touchdown, they say ‘Leeeeeeek,’?” Nabers said, cupping his hands around his mouth like a bullhorn. “I’m excited to go catch some touchdowns and help the team, help the offense.”
When touching on how he may feel before the Giants take the field on Aug. 8, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft expounded by saying:
“I’m going to always have butterflies every time I go out there,” Nabers said. “If you are not nervous, then you are not ready. I use that as a thing to make sure I’m prepared. When I get in the game, just showcase my talent.”
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Nabers could achieve his goal based on his resume and showing in the offseason
Nabers has had hype around his name from the time he was drafted by the Giants on April 25 until now. The 6-0, 200-pound pass-catcher earned his esteem as one of the most talented wide receiver prospects in recent memory by going for 1,569 receiving yards and 14 REC TD on 17.6 yards per each of his 89 catches on the 2023 season for the LSU Tigers. He finished as the Tigers’ all-time leader with 3,003 receiving yards for his collegiate career and came onto the scene for the Giants in a major way.
First, the Louisiana native was lauded for his intangibles once team activities began. When he finally took the field for the Giants, he wowed leading up to training camp, where he then corraled catches like his stellar back-shoulder grab earlier this summer, shared by SNY on X, that had all who follow football in awe of what it potentially foreshadowed for his inaugural season in the league.
Nabers had his ups and downs in the preseason, failing to bring down a reception in their first matchup against the Detroit Lions, before capping off his efforts by snagging four receptions for 54 REC yards in their 28-10 loss to the Houston Texans the following week.
He is expected to be one of Daniel Jones’ favored targets, if not the No. 1 option in the receiving game on the upcoming campaign. His talent level, output, and fan fare have set the stage for him to have a momentous rookie debut.
Encouragingly for him, the Vikings secondary conceded 23 passing touchdowns to opposing offenses in 2023, which was tenth-most among all defenses last season. Therefore, Nabers will have a good chance to achieve what he’s set out for. Plus, facing Vikings superstar WR and fellow LSU product Justin Jefferson may bring out the best in him on game day. If things go as planned, Nabers has “got a lot of dances” that he’ll be able to choose from once in the end zone.
