The New York Jets training facility at Florham Park was seemingly buzzing on Wednesday as the Jets came up against the Giants in a joint practice. Although the Jets appeared to get the better of the Giants in certain plays, one player caught the eye of veteran QB Aaron Rodgers.

Malik Nabers, the Giants’ 6th overall draft pick, had a decent day on the field but did manage to catch the eye of the four-time NFL MVP. As reported by Fireside Giants, A-Rod was caught passing praises to the rookie WR, “That was impressive.” Well, the ten-time Pro Bowler also asked the Giants WR whether he is having fun at the joint practice while figuring out his role in the team. But this was not the first time Nabers got A-Rod speaking about him.

Going back a few days during a press meet, Rodgers stated, “I’m excited to see Malik Nabers, see what he’s all about. It will be a good opportunity for him, going against our premier corners.” Well, Nabers did come up against the Jets but fumbled a catch within two minutes of the drills.

Opening up on his performances after the match, the rookie stated, “I had too many drops. I had a lot of catches that could have been made on the field. You know, so that was about me. But it was great competition day, a great workday.” Nabers wasted a big chance to make an impact when he dropped a catch that Daniel Jones slightly underthrew.

However, he showed flashes of brilliance on the field when he caught one deep pass in the middle against Gardner. But largely, his day was ineffective as Nabers couldn’t get a hold of Jets CB D.J. Reed either. Summing up his pass-catching abilities, Nabers said, “I would work on something different on catching the pass. I’ll just go look at it, see what I can do better, and just practice that.”

Although Nabers remains harsh on himself while taking the mistakes heads up, A-Rod was impressed with the rookie. And he is not the only one who has praised the rookie WR as head coach Robert Saleh joined in.

Robert Saleh calls Malik Nabers ‘freaky’ ahead of the new season

From the moment the Giants drafted LSU received Malik Nabers, everyone knew there was something special about him. Having completed 1,569 receiving yards last season and a second consecutive season with more than 1,000 yards, Nabers was one of the hottest prospects coming into the 2024 NFL draft.

Seeing his talent, Jets HC, Robert Saleh, was quick to express his views on the rookie, “Dynamic, elite competitor, freaky, freaky, freaky. You could argue that he could’ve been the No. 1 receiver. He’s a very special talent, special mindset. Giants definitely got a really good one.” Looking back at Saleh’s praises, the spinning catch he took against the Texans might have added to his views of the rookie.

Even Sauce Gardner jumped into the heaps of applause that the Giants rookie is garnering before the start of the new season. After the conclusion of Joint Practice, Gardner was seen mocking the Giants fans while leaving the pitch. But he did come out and expressed his views on Nabers, “He nice. He’s very sudden when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks. I know it sounds a little weird, but he reminds me of an LSU receiver.”

Citing the similarity, Gardner referred to a little of Ja’Marr Chase and a little of Justin Jefferson while adding, “I don’t like to compare him to nobody because, at the end of the day, he’s Malik.” But there is potential, as Nabers could go a long way in the Giants franchise that never truly had a great WR. However, it remains to be seen whether he can live up to his expectations while helping the Giants secure yet another playoff run like last season, which ended with a defeat to the Colts.

Besides that, learn more about Chris Gronkowski’s NFL journey. Check out our recent interview with him on the Dual Threat Podcast with BG12.