Big Blue View
It isn’t often that an entire draft class emerges as contributors. It happened for the New York Giants back in 2007, with each of their picks playing meaningful roles in their Super Bowl run.
It might have happened again with the Giants’ 2024 draft class. While the team wanted to move up and dip into a historic quarterback draft class, they won just enough to be drafting fifth overall and out reach of the top quarterback prospects. Instead, they reinforced the rest of their roster around the quarterback position.
The 2024 class paid immediate dividends and while the season fell apart for the Giants, the class itself was lauded as one of the very best in the NFL after the season ended.
Unfortunately, the collapse continued into 2025 and much of that class took a step back.
As we did with the 2023 draft class, we’re going to go back and see what we were saying about the 2024 draft class immediately after the season, catch up to where they are now, and look at how John Harbaugh’s new staff can help them take a step forward in 2026.
(The quoted text is drawn from our rookie report card from the end of the 2024 season, linked below)
The Giants selected the star receiver over quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix. The jury is out on McCarthy due to his knee injury, but Nix lightly pushed Jayden Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year in the middle parts of the season, and Penix Jr. flashed in his second start last week. Should the Giants have gone with their favorite of the three to fix this Giants’ quarterback room? It’s certainly difficult to definitively say no, but Nabers as a “consolation” prize is a best case scenario.
Nabers broke Odell Beckham Jr.’s franchise rookie reception record and now has 104 catches with one game to go on the season. He has caught 104 on 162 targets for 1,140 yards with six touchdowns. Nabers is 165 yards away from tying Beckham’s rookie season yardage mark. He could plausibly do that in Week 18 against Philadelphia, although that would be his second highest single-game mark on the season.
The Giants found a true wide receiver one in Malik Nabers. He can effectively play X, Z, or in the slot. He can win any matchup and he finds ways to secure contested catches thrown in his area code. He’s a difference maker, and an explosive threat the Giants lacked for years. If the Giants can locate a competent quarterback, Nabers will solidify himself as a top-five wide receiver in the NFL.
Grade: A
Mid-season Grade: A
The big question going into 2026 with Nabers is his health. Athleticism is the core of his game and while he’ll be avoiding the PUP list, we don’t know how Nabers will be performing to start the season or how soon...
