The expectations are high. Since being taken sixth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers has been billed as the first superstar pass-catcher in a New York Giants jersey since Odell Beckham Jr.
And that’s before ever taking a snap.
Big Blue passed on the opportunity to select a new quarterback in order to secure Nabers — a pick that also meant sticking with Daniel Jones in 2024. So needless to say, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with his rookie season in New York.
“Don’t jump on the wave. That’s my advice,” former Super Bowl champion and first-round wide receiver Hakeem Nicks told NorthJersey.com reporter Art Stapleton during an interview published on May 22.
“Don’t jump on the wave. Because when you ride it when it’s up, you better be able to take it when it goes down,” the two-time 1,000-yard NYG pass-catcher explained. “Just play the game of football, just do what you do and what got you to this point.”
Ex-Giants WR Victor Cruz Joins Hakeem Nicks in Introducing Malik Nabers to the NYC Standard
Nicks wasn’t the only former Big Blue wideout that Stapleton spoke to. He also chatted with Victor Cruz — a teammate of Nicks and a Super Bowl champion in his own right — regarding the new NYG playmaker.
“It’s tough to play in this city, man, I’m not going to lie,” Cruz warned. “But just hearing [Nabers] speak and seeing a little bit of his personality, I think he’s ready for it.”
“Even though he’s a first-round pick, I think he has to treat it like he’s an undrafted free agent,” the former UDFA success story went on. “If he treats every single day like a learning tool, it’s going to work out to his benefit. If he tries to come out and attack the world, put everything on his shoulders and be the best player out there every day, it’ll get heavy for him and it’ll weigh on him.”
Cruz added that based on Nabers’ talent alone, the time will come where he’s becomes the star of the offense.
“For right now, he’s going to make mistakes [and] he’s got to learn from them,” the retired WR continued. “Be a guy who thinks, ‘What am I going to achieve today to get better?’ With that mindset, it’ll go a long way to him getting to where I believe he can be.”
Ex-Giants’ Hakeem Nicks & Victor Cruz Believe Malik Nabers Has ‘All the Tools to Be Great’
As for Nabers’ potential, neither Nicks nor Cruz doubts that the rookie can become a superstar.
“It’s all there to make his own legacy and be the next great one,” Cruz said to Stapleton. “I think he has all the tools, man, to be great.”
“Not one person is gonna bring him down,” Nicks added, talking about Nabers’ natural after the catch ability.
Cruz also stated that “it doesn’t take long for you to see that he can do it all.” Noting later: “There’s a confidence as a player you gain along the way that, I can change the game with everything I do, and it’s an incredible feeling.”
“You grow to a point where you know, all it takes is one play – if they get me this deep ball, if they find me on this in-route, I can take it the distance and change the complexion of this game, I can change the energy of this game,” he explained. “I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to flip the script and that moment, it’s an addictive feeling that drives you.”
“Everything I’ve seen from Malik Nabers, I believe he’s going to have that,” Cruz concluded. “He has that already from a college perspective, and now to have the chance to be that in the NFL, there’s nothing like it. We’re all excited to see what he can do.”
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Giants WR Malik Nabers Gets Advice From 2 NYG Super Bowl Champs