Giants' Malik Nabers Questions Arvell Reese Role, Harbaugh Responds with Transparency

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers shared real-time reactions to the team’s first-round draft picks during a Bleacher Report livestream with Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons on Thursday night. Nabers praised fifth overall selection Arvell Reese as a player but questioned where he fits on a defensive line that already includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The Giants selected offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa with the 10th pick, followed by the Dallas Cowboys trading up to take safety Caleb Downs one selection later. Nabers remarked,

“I’d rather get him than play against him.”

On Saturday, Giants head coach John Harbaugh addressed Nabers’ comments, calling their conversation “great” and noting the wide receiver was “fired up and happy” about the team’s draft moves. Harbaugh also welcomed Nabers’ questions about Reese, acknowledging that others would share similar concerns.

“It’s like he said, I was curious about how you were going to use him,” Harbaugh explained, per a team transcript. “I showed him how we’re going to use him. He is fired up about it. I appreciate it.”

Harbaugh emphasized the importance of open dialogue, stating,

“One thing that you’ll kind of probably see as we go here, we don’t get too worried about stuff. As long as a person’s heart is in the right place, as long as the person really cares, a player, a coach, or anybody, you really want what’s best for everybody… Say what you think. Put it out there.”

He added,

“We talk all the time about confronting everything that has to do with our football. So Malik wants to know how we’re going to use our first-round pick, I want to show him. I want to explain it to him.”

The Giants will face Downs twice annually as long as he remains with the Cowboys. While Nabers may not welcome the matchups, the team hopes Reese and Mauigoa will quickly prove their value, easing any concerns about defensive fit.