Giants, Jets look ahead to Night 2 of the NFL Draft after bolstering offenses

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — The first night of the NFL Draft saw an historic run of offensive players come off the board, as teams — including the New York Giants and Jets focused on addressing that area of their clubs.

Hoping to find an explosive wide receiver to open up their offense in the way Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU did a decade ago, the Giants went back to Cajun country and selected Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

Nabers gives the Giants a physical receiver with elite ball skills and route-running ability. He caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 TDs last season with the Tigers of the Southeastern Conference.

“Not coming into, you know, trying to replace Odell,” Nabers said of the Giants’ first-round pick in 2014. “I’m just trying to lead into my own legacy.”

Nabers will have to step up to match Beckham, who was the last Giants receiver to gain 1,000 yards (2018). From 2014-16, Beckham caught at least 90 passes for 1,300 yards each season and combined for 35 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Jets went with protection over a pass catcher with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu was selected at No. 11 overall by New York after the Jets traded down one spot Thursday night.

“I’m just excited about Olu,” general manager Joe Douglas said. “A proven pass protector, left tackle. I feel like he can really develop and become an impact player for us moving forward.”

The pick came after the Jets dealt the No. 10 overall selection to the Minnesota Vikings – who took Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. New York also sent a sixth-rounder (No. 203) to Minnesota, which traded No. 11 overall along with a fourth-rounder (No. 129) and a fifth-rounder (No. 157) to the Jets.

Looking ahead at the rest of the draft, the Giants have five picks over the final two days and they need help at cornerback, running back, safety, defensive tackle, and maybe a young quarterback to join a room that includes Jones, veteran Drew Lock and hometown hero Tommy DeVito.

The Jets only have one pick slotted on night two, and that won’t take place until the third round.

Coverage of the second and third rounds of the draft kicks off at 7 p.m. on ABC 7 and ESPN.

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