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The New York Giants drafted Malik Nabers to be a go-to wide receiver capable of dominating NFL cornerbacks. So they should be happy to see Nabers boss Deonte Banks at training camp.
In some first-round pick on first-round pick violence, 2024 NFL draft sixth-overall selection Nabers easily got the better of Banks, the 24th player chosen in 2023. Nabers got behind Banks with one slick move and hauled in a pass from Daniel Jones in the end zone at practice on Thursday, July 25, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
It’s a mere glimpse of what Nabers can do, and in pretty sterile conditions at that. Yet, the dominant rep is also a small sample of what’s to come from the rookie who should be the feature of the Giants’ offense this season.
Malik Nabers Continues to Impress
The Nabers hype train shows no sign of slowing down. He’s spent the offseason performing like a top-10 pick, offering insights into his “electric” talents.
Those talents were teased out during OTAs by Nabers putting special moments like this one-handed grab, highlighted by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, on tape.
Fortunately, Nabers appears to be kicking things up a notch as things now the action is getting more serious at training camp. The former LSU standout dropped the “best downfield pass” of the opening day from Jones, “a corner route,” according to Duggan, but that gaffe has been the outlier for Nabers.
Overall, he’s living up to the billing by showcasing the quickness, athleticism and clutch skills to make the tough catches. Like when he reeled in this toe-tapping score on Day 2, per NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton.
These are the plays Nabers was drafted to make. They are also the plays that have been missing from Big Blue’s pedestrian passing game for too long.
Nabers can transform how the Giants move the ball through the air, but it will be just as important for Banks to stop these plays in games that matter.
Giants Need 2nd Year Leap from Deonte Banks
There were positives from Banks’ debut campaign in the pros, but the Giants still need a significant second-year leap from the cornerback. It won’t be easy given the not-insignificant scheme change the Giants are undergoing on defense.
Shane Bowen has replaced Don ‘Wink’ Martindale as coordinator. The latter preferred press-style man coverage, but Bowen’s scheme will likely feature more zone.
No matter what form the X’s and O’s take, Bowen will rely on Banks to be the leader in a revamped defensive backfield. Ideally, the ex-Maryland star will quickly mature into a genuine shutdown corner.
That development would give Bowen a host of options. Including trusting Banks to matchup with an opponents’s best receiver, while the rest of the secondary plays zone.
It would require Banks holding his own against marquee wideouts more often. Not getting beat “on RZ back shoulders twice in 1 on 1’s,” the way he was by Nabers, according to Bobby Skinner of Talkin’ Giants.
Banks will have easier assignments than guarding Nabers one-on-one. Even so, Bowen and his staff will like to see the youthful cover man win his own share of reps in subsequent matchups of the Giants’ best on best.
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