NY Giants football: All-decade wide receivers team
By Matt Clark
3. Hakeem Nicks
Drafted by the NY Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft with 29th overall selection, Hakeem Nicks was seen as a big-bodied receiver for quarterback Eli Manning to utilize as a red-zone target at the wide receiver position.
A standout wide receiver from the University of North Carolina, Nicks was the first 1,000 receiver in Tar Heels history after tallying 68 receptions for a school-record 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior season.
After being drafted by the Giants in 2009, Nicks would join a receiving corps that would include Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and Domenick Hixon. He would become the first Giants rookie to score touchdowns in four consecutive games since Bob Gaiters did it in 1961.
Nicks played a major role in the Giants 2011 postseason run, recording six receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the Wild Card game against the Atlanta Falcons, seven catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Playoffs, 55 receiving yards against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game and 10 receptions for 109 yards in the Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
The 28 receptions for 444 yards and four receiving touchdowns remain Giants postseason receiving records, accentuating how integral Nicks was in the Giants magical Super Bowl run that season. In his Giants career, Nicks would amass 3,832 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns over six seasons and two separate stints with the team.
However, Nicks would only lead the team one year in receiving (2011) and only surpassed 1,000 yards twice in his career (2010-2011). He would serve as a solid number two receiver who would have 690 or more yards receiving in five of his six seasons with the NY Giants.
Despite not living up to the hype of a first-round draft pick, Nicks was productive enough to be one of the top three wide receivers in the past decade, just edging out Sterling Shepard in the process. His postseason performance alone was significant enough to have him placed on this list.