As the 2026 NFL draft unfolded Thursday night, it became clear the New York Giants were going to have their pick of the litter. They truly could have picked any position they wanted to, and that wasn't lost on anyone, including star receiver Malik Nabers.
On Bleacher Report's stream of the draft, Nabers noted if Big Blue went with a wide receiver, Nabers' days in the Meadowlands could be numbered:
#Giants WR Malik Nabers on what would happen if the Giants took a WR at #5:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 24, 2026
“You’re gonna pay him more than me and I’m your #1 WR. When he’s in Year 3 and I need a contract… you gonna just trade Malik.”
Micah Parsons’ reaction: “Welcome to my world.” 😂
(via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/LkucfHEZCO
But the football gods had a different plan in place. Linebacker out of Ohio State, Arvell Resse, fell into the Giants' lap at No. 5, and Joe Schoen and Co. opted to add another dog to the defensive side of the ball. As the first round went on, it turned out Reese was the G-Men's No. 1 guy, and ultimately Nabers had nothing to worry about.
What he said made sense, but we've seen this play out before. The Tennessee Titans traded AJ Brown because they believed they got a younger AJ Brown when they drafted Treylon Burks. There will never be a reason to trade for someone you hope can be Malik Nabers when you already have Malik Nabers.
Nabers should get comfortabe wearing Giants blue because he isn't going anywhere
If anything, the Reese pick should tell Nabers everything he needs to know when it comes to what the organization thinks about him. They aren't going to trade him, and he's not just their guy -- he's the guy. Everyone knows Big Blue needed to give Dart another weapon on the outside, but the front office won't do it at the expense of Nabers.
That's where third-round pick Malachi Fields comes in. The Notre Dame wideout is as unthreatening to Leek's position as can be.
They addressed the linebacker issue and the right side of the offensive line issue in round one and have the flexibility to add a playmaker in the coming rounds. Honestly, even if they did select Jordyn Tyson at No. 5, there was still no chance Nabers would be shipped out the door.
Even coming off a torn ACL, he's too valuable to the team. We haven't even seen him and Jaxson Dart together, but already know it'll be fireworks.
It wasn't an outlandish thing to say when it comes to the business side of things, but everyone in the building knows that rule isn't applying to No. 1. He doesn't need to worry about a trade -- he needs to worry about what color pen he's going to use to sign his contract. Nabers is going to be in the Giants' blue as long as he wants to be here. It's as simple as that.
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