Malik Neighbors would make a lot of difference to the Giants and probably a big difference to Daniel Jones. He would pull the Giants out of their offensive dark ages and get them in the direction of the end zone. He would make Brian Daboll a better play-caller. He would make the Giants a more fun team to watch.
Neighbours are difference makers.
But how much of a difference can the highly-touted receiver out of LSU make to this team and its quarterback?
“I think he’s going to be a great weapon for us,” Jones said at minicamp. “He can do it all. There’s very little he can’t do from a route-running standpoint. He’s dynamic either way with the ball, strong, fast, explosive, catches the ball well. So yeah, he does a lot of things well.”
Jones will have the fastest and most agile group of receivers of his six-year career, but his first true No. 1 will be Neighbors, who was drafted to replace Saquon Barkley as the Giants’ most feared playmaker.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure,” Neighbors said. “I’ve played football my whole life, so I’m just trying to compete with the guys that are here. I’m just trying to keep the competition that the older guys expect from me. I’m just trying to be myself. I’m just trying to raise my level of play every day that I’m here.”
I asked him how much of an impact he thought he could make as a rookie.
“I don’t really know,” Neighbors said, “All I can do is be a great teammate to the guys that are here, help the team win football games and do whatever Coach Daboll wants me to do offensively.”
Does he see himself as a change maker?
“Yeah, for sure,” Neighbors said, “but right now we’re just trying to get our offense up.”
He lit up practice Thursday like Odell Beckham Jr. did during his rookie season a decade ago.
“When we get out on the field, the level of competition is at an all-time high,” Neighbors said. “When we get out on the field, we bring our dogs with us and we have juice.”
Message to Jones and Daboll: Just give him the ball.
When asked about his abilities on the field, Neighbors replied, “Speed, great range — that’s it really. I guess you’ll just have to see it on game day.”
There are too many variables from one year to the next, from one decade or era to the next, and even today’s pass-heavy NFL, to picture yourself as Nostradamus.
Let’s take a look back at how a rookie receiver drafted in the first round impacted their team’s success.
Beckham had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns, but the Tom Coughlin/Eli Manning-led Giants went from 7-9 to 5-11 in 2014.
CeeDee Lamb recorded 74 wins, 93 losses and five ties, but with Dak Prescott (ankle) playing in just five games, the Cowboys fell from 8-8 to 6-10 in 2020.
Justin Jefferson had 88 wins, 1.400 losses and seven ties, while Kirk Cousins’ Vikings fell from 10-6 to 7-9 in 2020.
Garrett Wilson had 83 wins, 1,103 losses and four ties in 2022, but the Jets finished the season with a 7-10 record after going 4-13.
Julio Jones recorded 54 wins, 9 losses and 8 ties and led the Falcons to a 10-6 record in 2010, a 13-3 season and a divisional playoff loss in 2011 before losing to the Giants in the wild-card playoffs.
Mike Evans had 68 wins, 1,051 losses and 12 ties in 2014, but the Buccaneers fell from 4-12 to 2-14 thanks to the efforts of quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.
The grand slam home run was hit by Ja’Marr Chase, who led Joe Burrow and the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021 with a record of 81 wins, 1,455 losses and 13 ties. Chase’s 368 yards receiving in the postseason was a rookie record, breaking the previous record of 242 yards set by Torrey Holt in 1999.
Sammy Watkins recorded 65 wins, 982 losses and 6 ties and helped the Bills improve from 6-10 to 9-7 in 2014.
AJ Green finished with a record of 65 wins, 1,067 losses and 7 ties, helping the Bengals improve from 4-12 in 2010 to 9-7.
Turn back the clock:
Jerry Rice had a record of 49 wins, 92 losses and 3 ties, but the 1985 Niners finished 10-6 and lost to the Giants in the 1985 Wild Card playoffs after winning the Super Bowl the year before.
Calvin “Megatron” Johnson recorded 48 wins, 756 losses and four ties, helping the Lions improve from 3-13 to 7-9 in 2007.
Neighbors has been a hot topic this offseason.
“He’s going to have a great career,” linebacker Bobby Okereke said.
Number 9 Kid: Giants fans, get your popcorn ready.
