The NY Giants held the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and ultimately went with LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, a decision that proved to be the right one. Nabers was dominant during his rookie year, tallying over 100 receptions for over 1,200 yards and scoring seven touchdowns.
Nabers did all of that despite having guys like Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock throwing to him for most of the year. So yeah, simply put -- Nabers was incredible.
The reason the Giants were able to land Nabers in the draft was because, obviously, the five teams ahead of them went in other directions. The one that most people will zero in on, however, is the Cardinals, who took Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall, making him the first receiver taken in the draft.
While Harrison's rookie stats weren't bad by any means, they weren't anywhere close to what Nabers did during his rookie year despite Harrison having a much better quarterback situation. This had led to former NFL scout John Middlekauff saying that the Cardinals regret taking Harrison with their first-round pick.
"Once you get in the NFL, All I heard last year was like, ‘Marvin Harrison's floor is so high. Malik [Nabers] could be boom or bust.’ And then you watch, you're like, 'You don't think the Arizona Cardinals regret not going Malik Nabers over Marvin Harrison Jr.?’ Because they do. And the Giants benefited from them making that choice.”
Former NFL scout says NY Giants benefitted from Cardinals' draft mistake
Nabers balled out as a rookie and proved that he can be a star even in not great circumstances. Meanwhile, Harrison, who still had over 800 yards and eight touchdowns, had a better situation but is now being looked at as a disappointment. It just shows how lofty the expectations placed on Harrison were given who his father is.
That being said, Giants fans are glad that the Cardinals made the pick they did in the first round because Nabers is a special player and proved that during the course of his rookie year. The hope is that Nabers continues to be the better pick and helps the Giants win games.
Mostly, it's nice to be the beneficiary of a bad draft decision rather than the team making the bad decision. Hopefully this becomes a new trend for the New York Giants moving forward.