Life has been very different for rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers since joining the New York Giants as the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
At LSU, Nabers experienced a culture of winning. Over his final two collegiate seasons, the Tigers posted a 20-7 record and won two bowl games, while spending 19 straight games ranked.
Now, 13 weeks into his NFL career, Nabers has known nothing but losing. The Giants are 2-10, eliminated from postseason contention, and face an offseason of uncertainty and potential change.
Nabers has struggled with the adjustment, at times making public comments that create a backlash. He’s had to sit down with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll as a result and has also struggled on the field.
“It’s a culture shock,” Darius Slayton said of Nabers on Monday. “Definitely coming from the SEC, I understand. For him, you come from a big-time conference, a big time program like LSU and you’re used to winning, you’re used to going out there every Saturday and he was going up and down the field and having his way out there. That’s definitely not how this year’s went for our team.
“Obviously, we haven’t won a lot, but it was very similar for me my rookie year. I came from a very competitive program, and we won four games my rookie year. Hopefully we win more than that this year. But it’s just part of it. It’s something that he’ll, as he goes through it, he’ll learn how to navigate it.”
Navigating losses will never sit well with Nabers. He made that clear during a pre-draft interview with Daboll that was aired on HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.”
“The main thing is, whenever the season does end, to having that as your first year, allow that to motivate you going forward in your career coming into the following years and not wanting it to remain the same and trying to do your best to change it going forward,” Slayton added.
For Nabers, that would include reducing his drop rate.
While the rookie doesn’t accept losing, he does accept contributing to losses. He recently revealed that he doesn’t care about dropping passes, suggesting it’s simply a part of his game.
Slayton feels Nabers simply didn’t articulate what he was attempting to say well enough, offering him some veteran advice in the process.
“I think it comes from the right place. I think it’s kind of the mentality you have to have, to some degree. If you do drop one, you can’t sit there and let one drop turn into five, because you’re so worried about dropping one,” he said. “You got to get back up there and go attack the ball with the same amount of aggression the second time around. So, I think it comes from the right place.
“At the same time, that is our job, is to catch the ball when it comes our way. So, he obviously knows he has to make some of these plays. But, at the end of the day, Malik has good hands. He’s obviously a first-round receiver and a top receiver in college because he can catch the ball. So, I think he has a ton of confidence. Obviously, that’s what that exudes when you make a statement like that. I think it comes from the right place. But, at the same time, you have to also do your best to not drop the ball, which obviously, I would know.”
Nabers will learn with time and maturation. But for now, Slayton’s advice will have to do: You can’t lament losses while also being okay with contributing to them.
