The Bengals hit the jackpot when they drafted wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2021 draft and the Giants hope they did the same by taking a wideout from Chase’s alma mater with the sixth overall pick this year.
Malik Nabers followed in Chase’s footsteps at LSU before becoming the top Giants draft choice this spring. Nabers’s work in the offseason program drew plenty of praise and his fellow wideout Darius Slayton didn’t do anything to slow down the hype train when he compared the rookie to Chase during an appearance on the All Facts No Brakes podcast with Keyshawn Johnson.
“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. “Dimensionaly 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.”
Slayton has been the leading receiver for the Giants for most of his five-year run with the NFC East team. Nabers’s arrival might put an end to that, but it’s hard to imagine the Giants seeing that as a negative development.