Former NFL Scout Believes Cardinals Regret Not Drafting Giants WR Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers was the second receiver off the board in last year's draft, but his rookie year numbers suggest he was far more productive than Marvin Harrison, Jr.

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) celebrates his 45-yard touchdown catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

It’s only been one season since the 2024 draft class, in which the New York Giants snagged receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick and the Arizona Cardinals landed receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. with the fourth overall pick.

But after each player went through his rookie season, former Eagles scout John Middlekauff, appearing on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, believes that the Cardinals might regret not selecting Nabers when they had the chance.

"Once you get in the NFL, All I heard last year was like, ‘Marvin Harrison's floor is so high. Malik [Nabers] could be boom or bust,’” Middlekauff said.

“And then you watch, you're like, 'You don't think the Arizona Cardinals regret not going Malik Nabers over Marvin Harrison Jr.?’ Because they do. And the Giants benefited from them making that choice.”

Based on each receiver’s rookie campaign, there’s no question that Nabers had the better inaugural season. In 15 games, he recorded 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing five times for two yards and qualifying for a Pro Bowl berth.

Harrison, on the other hand, appeared in 17 games and recorded just 62 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns with no rushing attempts and no postseason honors.

Nabers also topped Harrison in other statistical categories, including broken tackles (8 to zero), and was the intended receiver on just two interceptions thrown by Giants quarterbacks.

In contrast, Harrison was the intended receiver on four interceptions. Nabers also had a higher reception rating (93.8) than Harrison’s 87.0.

Harrison bested Nabers in average depth of target (13.4 to 9.1) and had fewer dropped passes (five to Nabers’ nine). 

Interestingly, both receivers played roughly the same number of offensive snaps for their respective teams, Harrison logging 865 and Nabers 886. 

Clearly, Nabers did a lot more with his opportunities for a Giants offense that finished 30th overall (294.8 yards/game) and 28th in the passing game (189.9 yards per game) as opposed to the Cardinals offense, which finished 11th overall (358.2 yards/game) and 18th in passing (214.1 yards per game). 

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