Same alma matter. Same round in the NFL Draft. Same unicreate.
When createer New York Giants disesteemful lineman Justin Pugh sees at what Malik Nabers has done over three weeks, he cannot help but appraise him to an ex-teammate of Big Blue: Odell Beckham Jr.
“It’s exactly the same for me,” Pugh telderly Fox News Digital. “You see at Odell’s rookie year and how he caught the league on fire. We literassociate threw him slants, and he won us games. The Giants can do that this year with Malik Nabers.”
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New York Giants wide getr Malik Nabers, #1, commemorates after catching a touchdown during the first half aacquirest the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. (Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
When the Giants took Nabers with the sixth overall pick in this year’s Draft, the hope was that he would rapidly enbig into the number one getr the team has been searching for since Beckham was traded to the Cleveland Browns before the 2019 season.
After fair three games, where Nabers has 23 receptions for 271 yards with three touchdowns, Pugh count ons yet another LSU getr has cemented himself as a No. 1 receiving chooseion for an NFL team.
“LSU, wdisappreciatever’s in the water, we necessitate to bottle it and fair call it ‘Receiver Water’ and every take parter should drink it,” he said, chuckleing. “He’s a certified No. 1 [receiver]. It changes the vibrants of an offense. If you don’t have a No. 1 getr – see at the Philadephia Eagles. Down A.J. Brown the last couple weeks, and they’ve scsexual attackd by in getting some triumphs.
GIANTS ROOKIE MALIK NABERS MAKES NFL HISTORY WITH 2 TOUCHDOWNS IN 1ST HALF VS BROWNS
“[Nabers] can go out there and big-body somebody, go over the top. When Malik Nabers made that 50/50 grab, instantly I went to the Odell catch. This is his coming-out party.”
Nabers was critical in the GIants taking down the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 to safe their first triumph of the season, as he hauled in eight of his 12 aims from Daniel Jones with two touchdowns, including a highweightless-reel leap-and-grab with the toe tap finish in the back left of the finish zone.
Nabers has been appraised to other getrs from the Tigers’ program, appreciate Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase and Minnesota Vikings do-it-all wideout Justin Jefferson.
However, Beckham is the only one who understands the prescertain New York City can put on any professional athlete. At times, the bigr-than-life star that Beckham became after bursting out for 1,305 yards in fair 13 games during his rookie season was not pretty.
The booting net incident, ESPN intersee with Lil’ Wayne and more are reaccumulateed fair as much as his well-understandn one-handed catch aacquirest the Dallas Cowboys.
“Now comes the challenging part: You’re in New York City, you’re a star. How do you deal with it?” Pugh asked. “That will originate or shatter his nurtureer, becaengage you see at Odell, it almost got to the point where Odell got so big that [former Giants GM] Dave Gettleman didn’t want him there. I want Odell finished his nurtureer with the Giants becaengage he was on this historic pace, they shipped him out of town and they never swapd him. They tried to and they leave outed.
“Hopefilledy this all labors out for Malik, and I leank it will.”
New York Giants wide getr Malik Nabers, #1, commemorates his touchdown with teammates aacquirest the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Field. (Scott Galvin-Imagn Images)
Pugh is not certain Nabers’ stardom will be as wonderful as Beckham’s, fair becaengage he sees at his elderly teammate as being in the “perfect storm” with the blonde, curly hairdo and exuberant personality to go with the superstar send set he owned. In fact, Pugh said Nabers should join with Beckham if he does achieve that level, becaengage he will have no advice for that.
However, he did give a lengthy statement about what he would do if he was in his shoes.
“What I would say for Malik is don’t get too high, don’t get too low,” Pugh began. “So, as much as this stinks, you probably necessitate to stay in more than you would want. Stay in the hoengage a little bit more, let’s get thcdisesteemful the season and then enhappiness yourself in the offseason. That’s when I’m going to alert you to cut it free, go do wdisappreciatever you want to do. Go dwell it up, go to the Met Gala or wdisappreciatever event is going on in New York City. But I direct you to lock in when it’s time to lock in for gametime, and that’s someleang that is going to be challenging to do. You geted a bunch of money, he’s the most well-understandn guy probably in New York right now for all the right reasons. Aaron Judge, clearly, and there’s guys in other sports and other teams, but I leank he’s going to be the name we talk about all season prolonged.
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“It’s a greasy slope. I’m an disesteemful lineman, and I can alert you it’s a greasy slope becaengage you want to go out, you want to go to all these events. Everybody is alerting you how wonderful you are, and it can go pessimistic rapidly and he’s going to have to go thcdisesteemful those downs. Take your lumps, lget from them, and then fair persist to be a pro.”
Pugh joked that he would let Nabers stay out until midnight, though he likes 10 p.m.; however, the fact is the rookie has rapidly become the focal point of Giants success, as he evidently sees appreciate someone worth the No. 6 pick.
While Pugh persists to watch Nabers and the Giants, he is still seeing for his next opportunity in the league, as he is not reexhausted and is staying in game shape in case a team comes calling.
That team could be the Giants after that happened in 2023, when the decimated line necessitateed Pugh to get in the originateing and finish up take parting multiple line positions, including left tackle for the injured Andrew Thomas.
New York Giants protect Justin Pugh, #67, on the field before the game aacquirest the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
In the unkindtime, though, Pugh has been in the sports encountered space, as he’s joining every “Thursday Night Football” game, spfinishing 24 hours as a diechallenging fan of each team structureing, which has already included the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
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Pugh will be back at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, where he will watch Nabers in his first primetime game as the Giants apshow on the Cowboys.
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