New York Giants 2024 NFL draft picks: Selection analysis
Why Malik Nabers is a top WR in the 2024 NFL draft class (1:30)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The 2024 NFL draft began Thursday night in Detroit, and the New York Giants finished the draft with six picks, beginning with the No. 6 selection.
Here’s a look at each of New York’s scheduled selections:
My take: It’s hard to have complaints landing a receiver as explosive as Nabers, especially once it became evident that getting any of the top three quarterbacks (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye) wasn’t possible. The Giants talked with New England on Thursday about pick No. 3 for Maye. But the decision was always in New England’s hands. That was the problem with landing outside those top three picks. The Giants clearly weren’t willing to settle for former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
“I’m comfortable where we are,” general manager Joe Schoen said about his quarterback position and passing on McCarthy. New York had a list of six players it was willing to select at pick No. 6. McCarthy wasn’t on it. Nabers was. It made it an easy decision when the Giants were on the clock, and now they finally have a No. 1 receiver for the first time since Odell Beckham Jr. When they do get a new franchise quarterback, a top receiver will already be in place.
Key Stat: Nabers had 1,009 receiving yards out of the slot, the fourth most in the FBS in 2023. This Giants regime sure loves its receivers to be able to work out of the slot. That allows the team to move the receivers around. Nabers is easily the most explosive of the bunch. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, had a vertical jump of 42 inches and a broad jump of 10-foot-9. No wonder he had 14 receiving touchdowns last season. Giants wide receivers had just nine combined.
What we’re hearing about Nabers: “You see his highlights, see some of the stuff that he can do, whether it’s with the ball in his hand, without the ball in his hand,” Schoen said. “When guys are wired like that at his age, it’s ingrained in him. That is who he is. Looking forward to bringing some of that toughness, explosiveness to the roster.”
