Malik Nabers arrived in New Jersey to begin his life as a member of the New York Giants on Friday, but the wide receiver didn’t seem too excited to be there.
Images released by the team show the No. 6 pick arriving at East Rutherford and being greeted by general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.
Despite the Giants duo’s enthusiastic greetings in the parking lot, Nabers looked pretty miserable as he hugged them both.
Nabers held a press conference and said he will put his “body on the line” for the Giants.
But his disappointing reception upon his arrival already has Giants fans fearing he’d rather be somewhere else.
Malik Nabers arrived in New Jersey to begin his life as a member of the New York Giants on Friday.
But the wide receiver didn’t seem too excited to be there when he met general manager Joe Schoen.
Coach Brian Daboll was also excited to meet his new player, but Nabers was not.
On social media, one fan wrote: “So much emotion on her face.”
Another commented: ‘He looked angry boy, you better put a smile on that fact! Congratulations by the way.
“He didn’t even crack a smile: he doesn’t want to be a giant,” commented another.
“First time I’ve seen us draft someone who doesn’t seem to want to be a Giant,” said another.
Nabers gives the Giants a physical receiver with elite ball skills and route-running ability. He caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns last season with the Southeastern Conference Tigers.
“I’m not coming in, you know, trying to replace Odell (Beckham Jr),” Nabers said of the Giants’ first-round pick in 2014. “I’m just trying to lead my own legacy.”
Nabers will have to step up to match Beckham, who was the last Giants receiver to gain 1,000 yards. Between 2014 and 2016, Beckham caught at least 90 passes for 1,300 yards each season and combined for 35 touchdowns.
Nabers gives the Giants a physical receiver with elite ball skills and route-running ability
Nabers caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns last season with the LSU Tigers.
When it came time for the Giants to choose, they had a choice between two highly regarded receivers: Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze.
General manager Joe Schoen said little separated the two, but what he liked most about the 6-foot Nabers was his competitiveness and toughness. The 20-year-old played last season with a shoulder injury and never slowed down.
“He’s a great player,” Coach Daboll said. ‘Like Joe said, that quickness, explosiveness right after the catch and great mentality in terms of competitive playing style. He also played well in the important games.”
Nabers met with Giants officials before the draft along with Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Odunze on the same day. He said he was competitive that day too. He even remembered that the burly Daboll made him laugh by telling him that he could cover him one on one.
“I can play different positions,” Nabers said.
‘You know, create separation, open a big window for a quarterback to throw the ball to me. Great teammate, great leader, a great soccer player with a dog mentality when I’m on the field.”