Getty The New York Giants revealed how Daniel Jones reacted to the team drafting WR Malik Nabers.
The New York Giants selecting Malik Nabers sixth-overall in the 2024 NFL draft had Daniel Jones’ approval, according to to general manager Joe Schoen.
Speaking to reporters shortly after taking the LSU wide receiver on Thursday, April 25, Schoen revealed he spoke with Jones before sending the player’s name to the stage. The Giants’ under-pressure quarterback offered an enthusiastic response, “he’s fired up,” said Schoen, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Joe Schoen said he called Daniel Jones before the pick was announced to let him know the Giants took Malik Nabers. “He’s fired up,” Schoen said.
Nevermind “fired up,” Jones should be jumping for joy after what the Giants did in the first round. Not only did they get the struggling signal-caller the kind of vertical target he needs to expand his game.
Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll also declined to draft a potential successor for Jones, instead. Although not for lack of trying.
Malik Nabers the Perfect Pick for Daniel Jones
A speedster like Nabers is a gift for Jones. The latter is coming off a season wrecked by turnovers and injuries, including a torn ACL.
Jones has it all to do to prove he’s worth the $160-million contract he signed last offseason. Nabers’ presence will help because the 20-year-old can take the top off of any defense.
It’s what he did as a matter of routine for the Tigers, covering the most yards per route run in 2023, per PFF NY Giants.
Malik Nabers: 3.64 yards per route run in 2023
1st among all WRs 🔥
Nabers also averaged an impressed 17.6 yards per catch during an 89-catch, 1,569-yard campaign, according to Sports Reference. He’ll give Jones the burner on the perimeter he’s lacked for too long.
Targeting Nabers and fellow deep threat Jalin Hyatt, who has already endorsed this pick, should transform a QB who’s never averaged seven yards per completion in a single season.
Jones needs Nabers to have that kind of impact if he’s going to dissuade Schoen and Daboll from looking for his replacement.
Giants Made ‘Very Aggressive’ Pursuit of Drake Maye
Trading up was an option and the Giants were “very aggressive” about trying to acquire the third-overall pick from the New England Patriots, according to SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes. The pick would’ve gone on North Carolina passer Drake Maye.
Ultimately, the Giants couldn’t get a deal done and the Pats drafted Maye. It must have been the cue for a huge sigh of relief from Jones, but his reprieve may be short-lived.
There are still valid quarterback prospects left on the board, but the bigger issue is the Giants even pursuing a deal to trade up in the first place. Interest in Maye was hardly new news, only underlining the willingness of the front office to move on from their high-priced veteran ahead of schedule.
That context raises the stakes of the Giants selecting Maye. There are broader stakes, like the franchise lacking a truly marquee wideout since Odell Beckham Jr. was taken in the first round back in 2014.
On a more personal, but arguably more important level, Jones needs to do his bit to make this pick work. If he can’t, No. 8 will no longer have the excuse of a lack of weapons, leaving the Giants perfectly justified to ramp up their search for a new QB1.