New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers has had a solid rookie season despite a poor quarterback situation. Overall, he has racked up 740 receiving yards on 75 receptions and has recorded three touchdown receptions. However, one of his biggest strengths during his time at LSU was his ability to gain yards after the catch (YAC), and he hasn’t had the same opportunities so far this year with the Giants.
Giants’ Malik Nabers has been less effective in YAC receptions this season
This season, Nabers has 240 YAC yards, but a low average of just 3.2 YAC yards per reception. In his senior season at LSU, Nabers had a total of 589 YAC yards and an average of 6.6 YAC yards in 14 games.
It was clear after the first few games of the season that defenses were more honed in on Nabers in pass coverage. Nabers was targeted heavily by former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones as the primary receiver on the depth chart. The constant pressure he has faced by opposing defenses has taken away YAC opportunities for him.
Nabers’ main strength is making contested catches, but he is also very agile with his quick feet which allows him to gain additional yards after short passes. Despite those attributes, he has not been able to maximize that skill set in his rookie campaign.
The Giants’ quarterback issues have contributed to Nabers’ low usage
Additionally, the struggles that Jones had this season prevented Nabers from being utilized to his maximum potential. Jones has since been released by the Giants and is now on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad while Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock are now the Giants’ quarterbacks.
With an inconsistent quarterback room along with conservative play calling from head coach Brian Daboll, Nabers hasn’t had the opportunity to explode for big games as he did at LSU. Inconspicuously, he has been targeted less in recent weeks, which the rookie expressed frustration over after their Week 12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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With a 2-10 record on the season and the worst record in the NFL, the focus should be on developing their coveted rookie receiver and maximizing his talents. They are essentially playing for nothing at this point in the season since they are already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, so Nabers should be getting more opportunities to gain the necessary reps to be an even better player in the years ahead.
If they continue to underutilize him, his development will be stalled, which could only continue to hold the Giants back as they start another rebuild.
