Transcript: Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

May 10, 2024

Q. Malik, what is it like to finally be here? What you do you think of the whole atmosphere?

MALIK NABERS: The atmosphere is great. I’m happy to be here. The Giants organization is a great organization. Yeah, I'm happy to be here.

Q. Daboll said he will tell you guys to take it easy, get if the flow a little bit today. How hard is it to not want to show off today?

MALIK NABERS: It's hard. Coach Groh told me I wasn't going to be participating in everything and I told him why. That competitiveness in me is always going to show.

Q. What are the correlations from your first day at LSU to your first day in the NFL?

MALIK NABERS: Surreal. I got to keep telling myself continue to work hard. All your dreams came true, but it's time to move on from all that. All that is over. Now it's just being a pro.

Q. What kind of advice have you gotten about playing in New York and in this market? You’ve spoken to Odell; he was here. What's been the message to you?

MALIK NABERS: Just continue to be who I am. Who I am, it got me here today, so he just kept telling me to still work hard. Stay with that chip on your shoulder.

Q. Who are you? How would you describe who you are as a person?

MALIK NABERS: I'm a funny person to be around. Good person to be around. I'm just as a person that plays football, kind of thing that saved any life. I take it serious. I'm happy to be here. I'm finally here so just to get out there running with the guys it's a dream come true.

Q. Why did football save your life?

MALIK NABERS: Only thing that I felt I could do with my life. Only thing I felt like when I looked on what I wanted to do in the future, it was the only thing that I had plans to do so.

Saved me and my family's life. Put my mom in a house that she wanted. Changed my life forever so I'm happy to be here.

Q. How important was it to take care of mom and the house?

MALIK NABERS: It was very important. That was the most important thing in my life, I would say, is having her have her own house and feel comfortable and not having to worry about bills to pay.

And know that her little boy did it for her.

Q. I don't want pry, but is this the first house she's had?

MALIK NABERS: Yes, ma'am. First house she's ever been in.

Q. When were you able to do that?

MALIK NABERS: I was able to do it about a week ago. So, yeah, just seeing that smile on her face.

Q. You mentioned at the combine how your interactions with the Giants and Coach Daboll and they were fun to be around. That was before you were drafted. Have you seen a different side yet? Have you seen that was trying to figure out if they wanted you and liked you, and now that they got you it's maybe more work? Do you see a little bit of a shift there at all?

MALIK NABERS: No. Coach Daboll is the same person I met on day one. He likes to crack jokes with me, push me to be who I want to be.

There hasn’t been a shift, same people I met the first day.

Q. Give me an example of a Coach Daboll joke to you.

MALIK NABERS: I can't say.

Q. Jayden Daniels said something controversial the other day about you guys having a bet. Can you tell us what actually happened?

MALIK NABERS: I'm educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling. We’re calling the bet off. There is no bet now. It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get to success. That's all it was.

Q. What do you think of the playbook? Is it similar to what you did at LSU? What's new to you?

MALIK NABERS: Probably just the calling out of the plays. It's not technically the same offense but the terminology is the same. It’s still football. You’ve got to switch your brain from hearing one thing, seeing signals to now hearing it with your ears and comprehending knowing where to lineup at.

Q. Malik, you mentioned buying the house for your mom. Got your first deal done. Any big purchases for yourself here?

MALIK NABERS: Nah. I wouldn't say any big purchases. I’ll let NIL handle all those things.

Q. Why did you go with No. 9?

MALIK NABERS: I think this is just a temporary number for right now to put me into something for right now. I hope it looks great. I'll see it on film to see if I really want to keep it or not.

Q. Have you gotten together with any of the other Giants quarterbacks?

MALIK NABERS: No, not yet. While I was away, it was pretty much about just trying to get back into that football shape. I was talking to Coach Daboll, just running the plays before I get here, so it was just a conversation between me and the coaches about plays.

Q. Your mother has been one of your biggest fans.

MALIK NABERS: Right.

Q. You talk about the advice you got from former players. What advice has she given you about this next part of your journey?

MALIK NABERS: As a mother, she’s always going to protect me from everything that comes my way. It's an understanding that I'm doing -- this is my life that's going forward in this football thing. I chose to do it and I know everything like about football. They just watching from the back end. She's supportive and just going to support me any way possible. She's just happy for me and proud of me.

Q. How do you envision yourself fitting into this team, this offense, and making a difference?

MALIK NABERS: For right now, it's just learning the playbook, interacting with my teammates, interacting with the rookies here. You know, trying to learn how to be a Giant, following the instructions or rules they have here. It's just being a pro at the end of the day.

Q. Are there any receivers you have studied in the past who are currently playing in the NFL?

MALIK NABERS: Not really study. You know, we always watch a lot of those guys when they play highlight games and go over the games. I watch a lot of different guys, too many to even say, like CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr (Chase), Jeff (Justin Jefferson), all the guys that when came in as rookie was producing. So just some of those guys, yeah.

Q. Watching NFL cornerbacks then?

MALIK NABERS: No, I haven't taken a look on any cornerbacks yet.

Q. Does this feel like a start or do you think once the veterans come in the next week and you're here for the other workouts, is that going to feel a lot different?

MALIK NABERS: No, it feels the same. I mean, I never been here. It feels brand new to me. I'm just here where my feet at, thanking God that I'm finally here. I'm blessed to be in this state, this opportunity, and in New York. It's a dream come true.

Q. Are you a patient guy?

MALIK NABERS: Yes, very patient.

Q. Are you? Are you going to want it fast? You are a rookie, but is that in your head? I'm a rookie, I got to take it slow, or are you going to want to be really good right away?

MALIK NABERS: The level that I see myself playing, you know, as a player and as a competitive person, I'm always going to want to go fast. Coach Daboll tells me he knows the type of player you are and you're going to want to take in all the information at once. With this offense, you’ve got to slow it down and take it step by step. For you to be where you want to be, you’ve got to know what you’ve got to do.

For me to play at 100 miles per hour, I still got to know what I got to do.

Q. What was it like? I assume you signed this morning.

MALIK NABERS: Yes, sir.

Q. What was that whole process? I'm sure you dreamt of it, what did it feel like actually?

MALIK NABERS: Surreal. You know, when I put my name on that paper, I was kind of shaking a little bit and I got emotional because the job is not done, but another stage in my life was done.

For me to make it to this part of my life and part of my journey, it was a pat on my back in that moment.