Giants have ‘a lot of confidence’ in rookie Malik Nabers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J – Malik Nabers said two practices with the Detroit Lions taught him something that anyone who has watched him play football the last couple years already knew.

“I can compete with these guys in the league,” Nabers said. “That was just the main thing. Just going against somebody else before the season starts. Let’s see what I need to work on. Getting my plays down. That’s really about it. Just continue to be me. That’s all I can say is I have talks with myself, ‘Just continue to be me.'”

That will make the Giants very happy.

In two days working against a defense that helped the Lions advance to the NFC Championship Game last season, Nabers was as productive as he’s been in almost every training camp practice. The Giants’ first-round draft choice caught virtually everything thrown his way, even when it didn’t count. Today, he made a terrific sideline catch but was ruled out-of-bounds by the NFL officials working practice. Video showed he kept his feet in-bounds.

“I’m able to go out and play with these guys,” Nabers said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, a lot of mistakes that I’ve made when I was out there. Just getting back in my books and coming out here the next day at practice. I mean, next day is the game (the preseason opener Thursday night vs. the Lions). So, just going out there at the game and just cleaning everything up.

“The game is fast. The level of competition is very high. There are plays to be made when the ball is thrown in the air.”

Brian Daboll, who is calling the offensive plays for the first time in his three seasons as head coach, clearly wants Nabers to frequently handle the ball. That was Daboll’s intention before the draft, during the spring, and throughout training camp. Seeing Nabers work against another team for the first time did not shake that conviction.

“(He showed) what he’s showed all camp,” Daboll said. “Competitive. Knows what to do. Been playing at a high level in practice, (we’ll) see if that translates to the games. I have a lot of confidence in Malik.”

What does Nabers think of Daboll’s desire to make him a big component in the Giants’ offense?

“I feel like it’s just an evaluation of what I can do, what I can’t do,” he said. “As I go out here and I show them that there’s not a lot that I can’t do. So, as many times as I make plays, the more opportunities that will come my way. Same as the rest of these guys. When they make plays out there, they’re going to get some plays to them also. You find out what you’re good at, you find out what your players are good at, and you put them in the best game possible.

“I’m just out here trying to compete at the highest point, make plays when I got the opportunity, continue to show my coaches that I’m able to play in this league.”

Nabers was particularly competitive with Detroit cornerback Terrion Arnold, the Lions’ first-round draft choice this year, and someone he faced in the Southeastern Conference. Nabers starred at LSU and Arnold at Alabama.

“I got nice, good work from these guys at Detroit,” Nabers said. “Just some great work of not going against your teammates. You get to go against somebody else. Having that mindset of getting back into that football mentality, that was great.”

The Giants chose Nabers sixth overall in the draft. Two years ago, the team selected outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux fifth. The two high draft choices have discussed what it’s like to have high expectations, both for yourself and from others.

“I tell him stay consistent,” Thibodeaux said. “We had a talk about goals, and I’ve been a guy who set goals and I know he’s a kid who has big goals for himself. But you got to know that you may not reach them, or it may come in a different way, or it may be a situation of adversity that you have to bear through and just stay consistent as possible and just continue to find the thing you can grow at each week.”

Nabers has received and processed the information.

“I’ve just been doing a great job at putting the work in,” he said. “Getting some work with the guys, (Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver) Davante (Adams), going out there in Houston, training with him. Putting that extra work just in the training room, the weight room. Making my body at its 100% mark as I can so I can be healthy when the season comes. And just making plays when I’m out there on the field. Continue to be me. Continue to make the plays I’ve been making my whole life. And at the end of the day, it’s just football.”