John Schmeelk: Expectations for him are probably unfair because they are so large. But they are also warranted. Malik Nabers would have been the top wide receiver taken in most drafts that didn’t have a player of Marvin Harrison Jr.’s caliber in it. In his final year at LSU, he caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. His body type and athletic profile are very similar to fellow LSU product Ja’Marr Chase.

Wide receivers have also proven they can enter the NFL and impact the game right away. Three of the top four rookie receiving seasons in NFL history have come since 2020, with Justin Jefferson, Chase and Puka Nacua all gaining at least 1,400 yards in their rookie year. Jaylen Waddle, Kyle Pitts, Chris Olave, AJ Brown and Garrett Wilson have all gained at least 1,000 yards in their rookie year since 2019. Of the top 25 rookie receiving seasons in NFL history, 11 have come in the past 10 seasons.

The Giants have a very tough offense to learn, which could slow Nabers down at the start of the season, even though Drew Lock talked a lot about how impressed he has been with Nabers’ work to learn the scheme. Nabers can line up everywhere and has to learn all the positions on the field. I would expect Brian Daboll and the staff to use him as a chess piece, finding matchups that he can regularly exploit. He can win at all levels of the field. The Giants will scheme ways to get Nabers the ball, and I would be surprised if he didn’t lead the team in receiving yards and break the 1,000-yard barrier.