The Giants aren’t that far away from having a very good offense, and a big reason why is due to the addition of Malik Nabers. The 2024 rookie from LSU racked up over 1,200 receiving yards as a rookie and had the third-most receptions among receivers in the NFL last season. The only two that had more were Ja’Marr Chase (127) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (115). He has the potential to be a superstar receiver who can elevate all of the talent around him.
Nabers managed to be highly productive despite having a dreadful quarterback and missing two games due to injury. And yet, he was one of the league’s most dynamic players. But believe it or not, he wasn’t the only Giants receiver to finish inside the top 10 in receptions among receivers. That honor also belongs to Wan’Dale Robinson, who caught 93 passes for the Giants last season.
While the 93 receptions are impressive, the 699 yards on 140 targets are not. Robinson averaged just 7.5 yards per reception, which would be well below-average for a tight end, let alone a receiver. But the role he was given made it hard for Robinson to post big yardage totals.
However, the improvements at quarterback could drastically help his efficiency. There is a very good chance his usage drops significantly, but that would be a worthwhile trade-off for Robinson and the Giants if it means he can make more plays down the field.
Wan'Dale Robinson could have an even bigger role for the Giants this season
In a recent article by Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about Robinson entering his fourth year and his projected role.
Jahnke fully expects Robinson to remain the team’s slot receiver, but for his overall production to increase with better quarterback play. Here is a snippet of his thoughts via PFF on Robinson going into the season:
"Part of the problem is that (Robinson) was only used on those short passes, as 108 of his 132 targets were on passes nine yards in the air or less, the most for all wide receivers. Robinson has been able to gain separation when he’s been in position to do so, and he’s avoided a lot of tackles, but a combination of inaccurate passes and defenses being in good position led to a low yards after the catch total. His 0.033 avoided tackles per route have been the seventh-most among wide receivers in his career."Nathan Jahnke, Pro Football Focus
Robinson has proven that he is one of the best receivers in the league with the ball in his hands, but the Giants need to find a way to make life easier for him. He shouldn’t need to avoid so many tackles just to have a positive gain, but that was the case for him too often during the 2024 season.
As Nabers draws more attention in 2025, it will be up to players like Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt to capitalize on the softer coverage. Robinson will be the team’s starting slot receiver, and it’ll be fascinating to see how Brian Daboll deploys him this season.
Robinson is never going to be a deep threat like some of the other slot receivers who Russell Wilson has thrown to in his career (Tyler Lockett, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, etc.), but he can be more than just a line-of-scrimmage player. Look for Robinson to be an essential part of the offense again this season and to be the de facto No. 2 receiver in New York.