Darius Slayton on Giants rookie Malik Nabers: 'Like a clone' of Ja'Marr Chase
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Some of the top receivers from LSU have taken over in the past few years in the National Football League, quickly establishing themselves among the greatest in the game today. And the New York Giants are hoping their strategy of drafting an elite LSU wideout pays off for their franchise as well. Big things are expected of wideout Malik Nabers, who they snatched with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In an interview on Thursday, Giants veteran receiver Darius Slayton said that Nabers reminds him of another legendary LSU receiver, Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com transcribed the interview below.
“He’s looked good,” Slayton said. “Honestly in my opinion he reminds me of Ja’Marr Chase, it’s like a clone. Malik’s about six-foot, they’re about the same size,” said Slayton. “Dimensionally, they’re about the same, his body movements, it’s actually kind of weird watching him move around. He’s really talented, he’s got good hands. For us, our system, the biggest hiccup as a rookie is trying to get down all these terminologies Daboll has for us. Once he gets all that down, you know I think he’ll have no problem having success.”
There’s little about Nabers that isn’t advantageous. He caught a combined 189 passes over three seasons at LSU, totaling 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns. His 3,003 career receiving yards are the most in LSU history; a prestigious honor for such a storied program.
Nabers produced the bulk of his jaw-dropping numbers this past season when he notched career-bests of 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 TDs. Further, the former four-star prospect boasted 17.6 yards per catch.
For Nabers’ efforts in the 2023 season, he was named a unanimous All-American, First-Team All-SEC member from the AP and SEC Coaches and a finalist 2023 Biletnikoff Award, missing out on the trophy by a single vote to Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.
New York Giants quarterback Daniels Jones has been blown away by Malik Nabers’ practice performances.
“I think he can be a tremendous weapon for us,” Jones said, via the New York Post’s Steve Serby. “He can do everything, there’s not much he can’t do really from a route-running standpoint.
It’ll be fascinating to watch his career play out for years to come.
On3’s Grant Grubbs also contributed to this article.