New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Giants on SI list of most indispensable Giants turns the page to No. 3 on our countdown. The list was compiled based on a vote among the Giants on SI editorial contributors.
Among the issues that prevented the New York Giants offense from being a competitive unit in the previous four seasons, arguably the second-most glaring was the absence of a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver who could elevate the huddle and take over a football game with electrifying playmaking.
To solve that problem, general manager Joe Schoen, who couldn't move up the draft board to a top-three pick to pursue a franchise quarterback, stayed put at No. 6 and selected LSU product Malik Nabers. That decision has, in a short time, turned out to be one of the general manager's best since he took the job in East Rutherford, as Nabers has become a young star within this list.
Expected to come in and serve as the go-to guy for the quarterback Daniel Jones, Nabers exceeded all expectations for a player who wasn't deemed the universal WR1 in his draft class. His rookie status never limited his ceiling, and he stepped up every Sunday to bring nearly consistent production and lead the position group with his debut stat line.
From speed off the ball to explosiveness and the versatility to run an entire route tree and snag balls with his premier field vision and hand strength, Nabers was the flash in the pan that the Giants' offense needed to start becoming respected again.
Perhaps we didn't even see the best of the young wide receiver, though. He missed a couple of games due to injury, and the rest of the Giants' offensive operation was often bogged down by poor protection and a carousel that took over the quarterback's room. With some new upgrades around him, Nabers could have an even better sophomore campaign.
Nabers' main impact whenever he is on the field comes in two forms. The first is that he brings the long-forsaken vertical element that head coach Brian Daboll complained was missing at times during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively.
Before Nabers's arrival last year, the Giants only had 44 plays of 20+ air yards, which was near the basement of the NFL two seasons ago and insufficient for having a quarterback like Daniel Jones, who at least had a strong arm to make those throws. This past fall, Nabers ranked 4th with 29 targets of that distance alone, with 216 yards and two touchdowns to show for them.
If the ball is placed in the right spot, Nabers can contort his body to gain leverage against the defender and make the most contested catches. He held the team's best-receiving grade at 87.1 and the lowest drop rate of 6.8% among players with at least 230 receiving snaps.
Secondly, he widens the opposing defense by demanding their attention on every play. This is the perfect equation for creating opportunities for other pass catchers to damage in one-on-one matchups.
He uses shifty route cuts and fakes to make the defense believe the ball will be coming his way, but it opens up space for shorting plays with post-catch yardage for his teammates.
Whereas he had to overcome a poor offensive line and lackluster quarterback play, Nabers will be happy to see those two areas revamped as the Giants enter the 2025 season. The front is expected to be fully healthy, barring any significant injuries in camp, and Russell Wilson takes control with an arm that better matches his new receiver's abilities.
Taking away the presence of Nabers in the Giants' offense would very likely make it less appealing and destructive for opponents to deal with. The Giants have a couple of reliable options behind him in Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson, who were a part of the team's core before Nabers arrived. Still, none have come close to their younger teammate's production in a single season.
After those two, no player on the Giants amassed over 350 yards receiving, the closest being tight end Theo Johnson, who has 331 yards and a lone touchdown in a disappointing debut marred by injury. Jalin Hyatt has also not lived up to the hype he created for himself at Tennessee and might fall out of the depth chart altogether this summer.
Surprisingly, the Giants didn't address the receiver position in the draft because the 2025 class was talent-rich with prospects that were talented enough as day 1 or 2 selections. New York has added a bunch of players as undrafted free agents, but it's unlikely many of them will make it through the depth chart battles in training camp to become the next Victor Cruz story.
Most importantly, none of those players would enjoy the same luxury of increased opportunities to make a play with Nabers out of the picture. The defense could revert to focusing on more even matchups, limiting the potential for the unit that Brian Daboll has longed for since he was named the head coach.
This season marks the second consecutive time that Nabers has made the most indispensable list, but it saw a big jump from the No. 7 player into a top-3 spot. While nobody knew just how impactful his rookie campaign would become when we did last year's series, his skillset translated incredibly well to the pro level, and he was the main reason why the Giants were able to achieve even the slightest bit of success on the gridiron.
Thus, with consistency and a high-volume workload potential, Nabers deserved more than getting bumped up four spots and being the second-highest-ranked player on the offensive side of the roster. Still, to put him at the very top of the order might be a stretch until we see if he continues to perform at a high level in his sophomore season and beyond.
Once you see the two players we have listed at No. 1 and 2, you will understand why the factor of longevity is stressed within the arrangement for this year's list. But maybe by the time next offseason rolls around, we could talk about Nabers sitting on the throne of the most elite in the Giants' locker room.
Nabers was one of the few stories that made the Giants' 2024 season a little less unbearable to watch, and perhaps he will continue to bring back glimmers of the playmaking ability that the fan base fell in love with Odell Beckham Jr back in 2018.
He had already made a quick case to sit above Beckham in the Giants' receiving hierarchy, but there is more for him to prove this season with an offense built to be more successful this time.
After cracking the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie for the first time in seven seasons, the next goal should be to stack another campaign of that caliber as Nabers provides the franchise with a true No. 1 threat that, short of injuries, will torment defenses across the league for years to come.