The New York Giants and New York Jets had a joint practice on Wednesday before they play each other in their final preseason game on Saturday, and Jets’ star cornerback Sauce Gardner had a lot of good things to say about Giants’ rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who will likely be matched up with Gardner several times on Sunday.
Jets’ Sauce Gardner spoke highly about Giants’ Malik Nabers
“He nice. He’s very sudden when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks,” Gardner said about Nabers (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “He’s going to be a really good player.”
Raanan added that Gardner compared Nabers to other LSU standouts that have flourished in the NFL, such as Cincinnati Bengals’ star Ja’Marr Chase and Minnesota Vikings’ star Justin Jefferson. The Giants’ pick of Nabers is the first time they selected a receiver out of that college with a first-round pick since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014, who was outstanding during his time with New York.
Gardner’s words are the latest to come from a member of the Jets’ personnel, as head coach Robert Saleh also praised Nabers prior to their joint practice. Evidently, the LSU wideout is generating lots of attention with his potential to be one of the game’s best rookies this upcoming season.
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Nabers struggled in the Giants’ joint practice with the Jets
In their joint practice Wednesday, the Jets held down Nabers from having an explosive performance, including a big drop for what would have been a touchdown. The practice ended with Gardner doing a waving gesture towards the Giants’ sideline, to which Nabers responded by saying that there was no wrongdoing in him doing the gesture.
“They can do that. I mean, they won on the day. Their defense came out, executed well. We beat ourselves today,” Nabers said about Gardner’s waving gesture (h/t New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard).
While these two young players have a lot of respect for one another, they will surely have an intense battle when they play each other on Sunday. Nabers and Gardner lined up will be must-watch TV as they each look to make a name for themselves.
