Why Malik Nabers Didn't Crack ESPN's Top-10 Wide Receiver Rankings

ESPN's series of top ten rankings for every position has made New York Giants fans face an uncomfortable truth: There aren't many elite players on the current roster.

Yes, even superstar Malik Nabers didn't crack the list of the league's top ten wide receivers as voted on by coaches, scouts, and executives, though he did earn an honorable mention.

The league seems to be divided on where Nabers falls in the current wide receiver hierarchy. While he didn't have a spot on the list, one anonymous AFC executive told Jeremy Fowler, who put the list together, that Nabers is “easily a top-10 receiver,” but that the receiver’s recovery from a torn ACL is “worrisome.”

The concern is understandable given the uncertainty surrounding when Nabers is set to return. If he looks anything like the game-changing receiver he was in his rookie campaign, Nabers is without a doubt a top-10 receiver.

But while he is inching closer to getting the green light to return to football after almost a year away, questions about the complexity of the knee injury he had and whether his surgically repaired knee will be as good as new continue to surround him.

Coming off a 1,000-yard receiving rookie campaign that also resulted in a Pro Bowl berth, Nabers looked like he picked up where he left off in the team’s first three games of 2025.

His 2.02 yards per route run were slightly down from the year before, but he was being deployed as a deep threat more often, his average depth of target increasing from 9.7 yards to 18.2 yards before his sophomore season came to a screeching halt.

Nabers only played part of one game with Jaxson Dart, hauling in two of his three targets for 20 yards before seeing his season end in Week 4.

The Giants' brass has expressed optimism about Nabers’s recovery and his readiness for Week 1. However, the prevailing thought is that Nabers will not only start training camp on the PUP list, but also stay there to start the season.

That Nabers earned an honorable mention is very telling, as league officials believe Nabers at less than 100% is better than many other receivers who are full-go.

While it might still take him some time to fully round back into shape once he does return to action, there is no question that he'll immediately be the top weapon in New York's offense when that day comes.

If Nabers can stay healthy for the vast majority of the 2026 campaign, he should comfortably be in ESPN's top ten receivers the next time the list is compiled.

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