New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers has officially been named as one of the NFL’s most talented up-and-coming players, who are expected to shape the next decade of the sport.
On May 19, NFL analysis site Pro Football Focus released its top 25 ranking for football players under the age of 25 entering the 2025 season. This has become a yearly tradition over at PFF, and this honor extends only to an elite group of talented youngsters.
In 2025, Nabers ranks 15th on this special list.
“Nabers is the closest rookie receiving threat to Brock Bowers coming out of 2024, and depending on which metric you want to favor, there’s a reasonable argument he could be ahead of him on this list,” PFF staff writer Jonathon Macri noted. “In a stacked 2024 rookie wide receiver class, Nabers was the best of the bunch, leading the group in PFF receiving grade (87.1) and targets (165) — both top-10 marks for the position.”
“Nabers was also the only rookie wide receiver to crack the top 10 in PFF WAR in 2024, ranking as the Giants’ most valuable player in that regard by a significant margin,” the analyst went on.
Along with that explanation, Macri cited Nabers’ 87.0 PFF grade overall, 882 snaps played as a rookie, and the aforementioned 0.56 WAR (wins above replacement).
Is Malik Nabers the Giants’ Most Important Player in 2025?
As a rookie, it didn’t take long for Nabers to separate himself as one of the most talented players on the Giants’ roster. Heading into the 2025 season, however, he could be one of Big Blue’s most important players.
Sure, the Giants have big stars like Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns on the defensive line, alongside rookie first-rounder Abdul Carter. But those three should all help complement each other, considering the strength of this unit, which also includes Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The development of former first-round cornerback Deonte Banks is also far less crucial in 2025, being that the Giants signed Paulson Adebo to be their new CB1.
Assuming he’s the Week 1 starting quarterback, the performance of veteran Russell Wilson will be important this season, no doubt. But 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart could oust Wilson midseason, and most of the other offensive positions should be collaborative efforts.
If Big Blue is going to shock the league and compete for the playoffs again this year, they’ll need a true superstar to emerge. And the most likely playmaker in that regard is Nabers.
Nabers’ rookie season was very, very good. Elite traits flashed most weeks, but the rookie has yet to post 1,500-plus receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns. A performance like that would turn him into one of the top offensive weapons in the game, and it would turn the Giants into more of a threat in turn.
So, yeah, Nabers might be NYG’s most important player in 2025. A close second would be left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons.
Were There Any Top 25 Under 25 Giants Snubs in 2025?
The Giants’ 2024 and 2025 draft classes certainly appeared to trend in the right direction, but previous draft classes have left this franchise without elite young talent.
Nabers is a surefire top 25 under 25 talent, but he might be the only one at age 21.
Banks (age 24) showed flashes of this type of potential as a rookie before completely regressing last season. Year three will be important in determining if Banks is a part of this organization’s future.
Safety Tyler Nubin (age 23), nickel DB Dru Phillips (age 23) and tight end Theo Johnson (age 24) are three of the other rising talents on this roster that fit this age range, but none of the three have proven that they are on the level of a top 25 youngster after one NFL season.
Perhaps Nubin or Phillips can earn consideration in 2026 with another strong campaign this fall/winter.
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