Despite the New York Giants' crushing loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, there certainly was a bright spot on display. New York's first-round pick Malik Nabers had another electric game against Dallas, as he had 12 receptions on the night for 115 yards, which included a career-long 39-yard reception.
It is safe to say that the Giants found their new No. 1 wide receiver and he could become the first wideout for Big Blue since 2018 to have a 1,000-yard season. The former LSU Tiger is also on pace to break an NFL rookie record by a very wide margin in 2024.
The #NFL rookie record for targets is Anquan Boldin (165) in 2003.
— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) September 27, 2024
Malik Nabers is on pace for 212.5 targets even if he doesn’t get another one the rest of the night. 🤯 #Giants100
Malik Nabers is looking brilliant for the NY Giants in 2024
After Nabers' 12 receptions on 14 targets against the Cowboys on Thursday, it now gives him 52 targets on the season in just four games. Daniel Jones has found his favorite target, as the young wide receiver may end up making some NFL history when it's all said and done this year.
The 21-year-old wideout is on pace for 212.5 targets for his rookie season, which would break Anquan Boldin's rookie record for targets in a season when he had 165 in 2003 for the Arizona Cardinals. Despite the Giants' 1-3 start to their season, we may be seeing some unprecedented numbers unfold in front of our eyes.
The Giants have not had this much excitement surrounding a wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr., who was also a first-round pick and an LSU standout when he was selected in 2014. We all saw how great Beckham was during his five seasons in New York and it looks like Nabers will be must-see TV every week.
Nabers has 386 receiving yards this season, which is the best in the league, on 39 receptions with three touchdowns. The speedster is turning heads whenever he's on the field, which has been great to see for this team despite the rough start to the campaign.