Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers ‘having a lot of fun’ in sensational start: ‘Dream come true’ Sep 24, 2024

Over his initial three NFL weeks, Malik Nabers has been become a must-watch talent, quickly rising in the ranks as one of the league’s most entertaining wide receivers.

Turns out the New York Giants’ rookie is enjoying his time just as much as those tuning in to marvel at his jaw-dropping catches and historic achievements.

“I’m having a lot of fun, a dream come true,” Nabers said Tuesday, via team transcript.

So far, Nabers has been a dream come true for a long-stagnant Giants offense, offering fans something to get excited about and dynamic production long absent — or, never seen before.

Even with the Giants dropping their first two games of the season, Nabers was producing highlights and garnering attention. Now, Big Blue is coming off its first win of the season, a 21-15 triumph over the Cleveland Browns in which Nabers hauled in eight catches for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The 21-year-old became the youngest wide receiver in league history with two TD catches in a game, according to NFL Research. Included in those eight receptions were two extraordinary grabs: the first when he skied above Browns cornerback Martin Emerson to pull away a 28-yard gain along the sideline; the second a beautiful leaping 3-yard score in which he skied for the ball before contorting his body to get both feet down inside the end zone.

“They were good catches, but I’ve made some way better catches than that,” said Nabers, the 2024 NFL Draft’s sixth-overall selection. “I’m not surprised by it, it’s just how I play, it’s how I am.”

Following his latest showing, Nabers enters Thursday night’s Week 4 opener against the visiting Dallas Cowboys with 23 catches, 271 receiving yards and a league-high three TD grabs.

Those numbers have made Nabers the first player in league chronicle with 20-plus catches and three or more TD grabs in his first three career games, per NFL Research.

Now Nabers is poised for his prime-time debut, but he’s shrugging if off as just another game against just another team.

“It’s a regular game,” he said of playing on Thursday night.

And it’s all the same playing the Cowboys, too, no matter how high-profile America’s Team might well be.

“It’s football,” he said. “A game is a game. Every time I go out there, a game is a game. No matter what day it is, a game is a game.”

Still, Nabers was definitely watching on Monday when his former LSU teammate, Jayden Daniels, dazzled in his prime-time debut, totaling three touchdowns and leading the Washington Commanders past the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Rookie of the Week is over with,” Nabers laughed. “I told him, after he saw me play, he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to go dumb on Monday.’ I was like, ‘I’m rooting for you, just don’t go too hard though.’ And he did exactly that.”

Having risen above expectations and the competition so far, Nabers’ first game under the lights will be intriguing regardless of how much he downplays it.

So far, he’s provided plenty of delight for Big Blue fans — and fantasy folks, as well, even those who might not have been able to draft him.

“Someone took him right before my pick,” Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons said Tuesday, via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. “He’s another guy, he’s legit. I’m excited to play against him.”

As he’s been each week of his rookie season so far, Nabers will be must-see entertainment when his Giants kick off against the Cowboys on Thursday.