Anyone else remember that wild rumor that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was trying to trade up for Malik Nabers?
In the slop heap that is the draft day rumor mill, arguably the wildest was the notion that the QB-needy Minnesota Vikings tried to move up with the Los Angeles Chargers not for a quarterback but for wide receiver Malik Nabers out of LSU instead. As ludicrous as that sounds, I won’t necessarily attack anyone’s credibility in the NFL insider business. Add to that the idea that the New York Giants also flirted with the idea of drafting J.J. McCarthy, and perhaps there are some strange alternate universes where these two teams pulled a switcheroo of first-round picks.
As wildly irresponsible as it may have been for Adofo-Mensah to consider taking a receiver in the top five rather than his QB of the future, I also understand why the idea could be tempting. Whether or not that rumor is even remotely true, I know what is true.
Nabers is a stud.
Malik Nabers would be the first receiver taken in almost any other draft class. His blazing-fast speed made him the best deep threat in college football last year and also one of the most dangerous run-after-catch threats in the sport. He’s a well-built athlete with grab-and-go acceleration to snag a short catch and take it long.
However, Minnesota’s secondary is talented, deep, and flush with corners who have the juice to keep up with a guy like Nabers. Right?
Oh, is it actually the exact opposite of that situation? That’s… less than ideal.
The Giants’ offense has some interesting receiving talent, but none as lethal as Nabers. If I’m Brian Flores, he’s the threat on New York’s offense who’s making me lose sleep at night. I’d be haunted by premonitions of watching No. 9 breezing past the likes of Shaquill Griffin in single coverage.
It may be an oversimplification, but I think the Vikings must center their defensive game plan around stopping Nabers. The best way to do this is with some assistance from his aggressively mediocre quarterback.
Vikings fans may need to show some humility before taking too many jabs at Daniel Jones. Two years ago, “Danny Dimes” diced up Ed Donatell’s defense in the playoffs. Jones would play so well in that game that he swindled the Giants into signing him to a four-year, $160 million extension.
Since that fateful playoff game, though, Daniel Jones has played well below his dollar figure. Vibes in New York are about as pessimistic as they come at the quarterback position. Hard Knocks revealed how desperately the Giants tried to trade up with New England for Drake Maye, only to be spurned and then have to talk themselves into their incumbent passer again.
After all that drama, Jones had a chance to quiet his choir of haters in the preseason and instead looked like this:
Probably not how they drew that up on the whiteboard.
Therein lies the dichotomy of this game: a wide receiver Minnesota can’t stop and a quarterback who can’t get him started. It’s an exceedingly movable object being pushed by an unpredictable force. Jones may push Nabers flying forward, standing still, or backward on any given play. If the Vikings can’t stop the object, they should dictate terms to the force.
The Giants game will likely test Flores’ restraint in Year 2. I’ll defer to the mad scientists’ expertise, but I’m not sure I would empty my bag of blitz packages in this game. Generating pressure with only four or five rushers could prove paramount because that puts the responsibility on Jones to diagnose the defense and deliver balls into tight windows. If we’re ever guarding Nabers one-on-one, we’re a single missed tackle or double move away from a highlight reel play.
It’s Week 1, Game 1 of Nabers’ NFL career. We’ve seen many exciting rookies in this league, and not even the Justin Jeffersons of the world always explode onto the scene in their first game. Nabers may take time, especially if chemistry with his new, middling quarterback proves to be a hurdle to overcome. Fortunately for Minnesota, Flores is a tricky defensive mind to debut against. Unfortunately, I’m also not sure there’s a more depleted secondary to debut against either.
Vikings fans should be nervous about Malik Nabers. He’s electric and has all the characteristics of a future star in this league. But there’s also reason for confidence if Flores’ defense can force the rest of the offense to beat them. Suppose Minnesota can force Jones to attempt tough throws to New York’s weapons outside of Nabers and generate pressure without sacrificing bodies in the secondary. Then, our worrying may be all for naught.
Jones may solve Minnesota’s Nabers problem.
