Does anybody wish to guess who leads the NFL in targets and goal share by three video games this season?
That’s proper, New York Giants rookie wideout Malik Nabers. Nabers has a 38% goal share by three weeks and has 37 targets, each tops within the NFL, for a Giants group that is aware of Nabers is their most constant and explosive offensive weapon. Y’all keep in mind in highschool once you performed that group with the one child who went on to play excessive tier faculty soccer? Yeah that’s Nabers within the Giants offense. His skillset was on full show within the Giants’ win over the Cleveland Browns, catching eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and giving New York one thing to imagine in for the primary time since Spider-Man swung round city. Let’s dig into what makes him so particular and what stood out on Sunday.
The very first thing that jumps off the movie once you watch Nabers is his burst and acceleration. His velocity is a professional risk, but it surely’s what he does when he first will get the ball or first will get out in area that’s so particular. New York has Nabers operating a big number of routes, but it surely’s on these fast hitters that actually showcase his particular burst with the ball in his palms. Watch what he does on the prime of the display screen towards Martin Emerson. He begins off sluggish, however then takes a vertical step to Emerson’s exterior shoulder like he’s operating a go route, then blasts proper again throughout his face on a slant route. He’s created the separation, however then when he will get the ball in his palms he makes a fast flip and bursts up the sector for 12 yards. That fast flip is what’s thrilling, he’s taking a easy achieve and making it explosive.
The Giants bought Nabers concerned in each approach doable towards Cleveland, utilizing him on jet sweeps and designing him free releases. I assumed this was a sensible movement by the Giants to get Nabers in area. Nabers is the receiver to the underside of the display screen with a decent finish to the left of him. New York motions RB Tyrone Tracy Jr all the way in which throughout the formation to Nabers’ aspect, not solely confirming if it’s man or zone, however giving Nabers a pleasant cushion to work with and a created gap within the zone for him to only sit in. Nabers catches this ball and once more, watch the burst with the ball. He’s an enormous play ready to occur.
New York even had Nabers working within the slot towards CB Greg Newsome. This was such a fairly route, utilizing that tempo and burst once more to fly by Newsome. This ball is thrown slightly higher we’re taking a look at a 3 landing day for the rook, extremely spectacular.
But, none of these performs excite me essentially the most. It’s this one on Emerson early within the sport. Remoted state of affairs, Nabers runs a vertical route. Not solely does he win this catch, however he goes up and will get it, stealing the ball away from Emerson. For a man his measurement (6’0, 200 lbs) that is prime of the road stuff. Ja’Marr Chase is so good as a result of he wins in these remoted conditions regardless of being a smaller receiver, and that’s the identical type of stuff I see from Nabers. What a seize.
Nabers’ physique management was evident on the 2 landing passes, one other style of what this child might be at this stage. Not solely is he such a quick and explosive receiver, he can throttle it down and contort his physique within the crimson zone to make these troublesome catches appear straightforward. I imply … wow.
As Nabers continues to play extra video games, I’m curious how Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll and the offense proceed to scheme up touches for him. Getting him concerned on jet sweeps is a method, as is placing him in movement, like he was within the season opening loss to Minnesota (Nabers is tied with Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice for second within the NFL in targets when put in movement, solely behind Rams wideout Cooper Kupp). With an enormous Thursday evening matchup towards the Cowboys on deck, getting Nabers concerned needs to be prime precedence for the Giants.
