NFL Coach Advises Giants’ Malik Nabers to Learn to Avoid Hits ‘to Live Another Day’

Malik Nabers has exceeded expectations at the start of his rookie season with the New York Giants, but there are still some ways that the wide receiver can improve even further.

One NFL coach told Mike Sando of The Athletic that Nabers should look to avoid taking big hits when attempting to rack up yards after the catch.

“Young receivers have to learn how to play the position, which includes when to go for yardage and when to get down to live another day,” the coach said. “When you see him running free through the [Washington] secondary and cutting back, and it’s a play where a linebacker pursues from the stack and just drills him, he learns that by hard knocks.”

In four games this season, Nabers has a league-leading 35 catches to go along with 386 yards and three touchdowns. He’s made several acrobatic receptions while also remaining a threat with the ball in his hands, recording 156 yards after the catch.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft scored twice during New York’s 21-15 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, becoming youngest wide receiver in NFL history with two touchdown catches in a game (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

While Nabers shouldn’t look to completely avoid contact moving forward, it would be beneficial for his long-term health to find a balance between fighting through tackles to gain additional yards and steering clear of taking unnecessary hits from linebackers and safeties.

He’ll have a challenging matchup in Week 5, as the Giants travel to face a Seattle Seahawks team that owns the second-best pass defense in the league.