Getty Malik Nabers is predicted to help a New York Giants "gadget" WR enjoy a breakout season.
T op draft pick Malik Nabers will boost the New York Giants’ passing game in multiple ways. Not only should he emerge as the go-to outside wide receiver quarterback Daniel Jones needs, Nabers can also help “gadget” playmaker Wan’Dale Robinson enjoy a breakout season.
That’s the prediction from Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team. He thinks Robinson “is more of a ‘gadget’ player than an actual wide receiver. However, rookie Malik Nabers gives the New York Giants a No. 1 receiver, so Robinson can return to being a dynamic slot receiver.”
The description may read as something of a back-handed compliment to Robinson, who led all Giants’ wideouts with 60 receptions last season. Yet, Mosher’s use of the word “gadget” speaks more to the versatility in Robinson’s game and his potential to be a roving playmaker able to gash defenses from anywhere on the field.
Unleashing that potential in concert with Nabers’ flair for stretching the field can transform a Jones-led offense.
Wan’Dale Robinson Set for More Work in His Best Areas
Although Robinson can strike from multiple spots, Mosher believes the 23-year-old works best on the inside: “Adding Nabers should give Robinson more opportunities in the middle of the field, which could be bad news for opposing defenses.”
Mosher has outlined exactly how a Nabers and Robinson partnership can function effectively. The sixth player taken in the 2024 NFL draft should garner plenty of attention on the perimeter, leaving short and swift Robinson to feast between the numbers.
He’s no stranger to the slot, where 5-foot-8, 185-pound Robinson spent 421 snaps last season, according to Player Profiler. A quick first step and shifty moves out of his breaks means Robinson can beat defenses in any direction from the slot.
It’s what he did when Robinson broke from inside to out for a solid catch and run against the Washington Commanders in Week 7.
A play like this shows how Robinson can be close to impossible to cover running option routes, but it’s not the only way to get No. 17 more involved.
Another method involves utilizing Robinson’s rushing talents. He amassed 87 yards on just nine carries this season, including this 24-yard touchdown scamper against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.
As Mosher put it, Robinson’s “such a threat with the ball in his hands that coach Brian Daboll should find ways to get the ball to him.”
That will be easier with Nabers on the field.
Malik Nabers Will Open the Field for Others
Sudden big plays are at the core of Nabers’ game. He averaged over 14 yards per catch in each of his three seasons at LSU, including 17.9 in 2023, per Sports Reference.
Those are the statistics of a receiver with the after-catch skills to turn short completions into longer gains. They are also numbers befitting a true deep threat.
Central to his vertical talents was Nabers making catches of 20-plus yards a speciality. Something noted by Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
Need an explosive play? #LSU WR Malik Nabers is your guy.
Most catches of 20+ yards in FBS:
27 – Nabers
18 – Rome Odunze, Tre Harris
17 – Ricky Pearsall, Luther Burden
Defenses combatting Nabers will have to keep safety help deep. They may even regularly double Big Blue’s new No. 1 receiver.
Doing so will leave room for others, with Robinson best positioned among the rest to take full advantage.
