(TC) Giants’ Draft Dilemma: Nabers or Odunze at No. 6?

After a disappointing 6-11 season, the New York Giants are back to the drawing board with the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

With an elite trio of wide receivers at the top of this year’s draft class, will the Giants look to bolster their underwhelming pass-catching corps? Or could they possibly be eying a quarterback to replace Daniel Jones.

Currently, those two positions hold the highest odds for the team’s first pick, with offensive line a distant third.

Let’s look at the scenarios the Giants face in a pivotal draft for GM Joe Schoen.

Giants 2024 NFL Draft Odds for the position of first drafted player by Giants

These markets will change leading up to draft day, and odds can vary significantly across different sportsbooks, so be sure to give yourself multiple outs.

LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers is the current favorite to be the selection at No. 6 overall, with DraftKings priced at +145.

Remember that trades can also alter these markets; the Giants could move back and still land Nabers, causing a loss on your bet, or a team could trade into the No. 6 slot and pick Nabers, giving you an unexpected winner.

Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze is the second favorite to be the pick at No. 6, with FanDuel offering the best odds at +340.

The industry consensus is Nabers over Odunze, but I believe they’re very close in regard to their evaluation.

While Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt and Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy are also names to watch out for here, I’ll focus on Nabers and Odunze in this breakdown as the two most likely options for the Giants.

Giants, No.6 pick player odds Malik Nabers the favorite

Throughout the pre-draft process, Nabers has been the favorite to be selected by the Giants at No. 6 overall.

The Giants haven’t had a Pro Bowl wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2016, and regardless of their long-term plan at quarterback, they’re in clear need of an upgrade in their pass-catching corps.

Nabers will immediately be one of the NFL’s most explosive receivers as 78.7% of his catches last season went for a first down or touchdown, and he had at least one catch of 20-plus yards in all 12 regular-season games for LSU.

Nabers has incredible downfield acceleration and remarkable ball-tracking ability, which he credits to his time as a middle school baseball centerfielder.

While there are questions about his ability to win against press coverage on the perimeter consistently, he’s as good as it gets operating in space.

Nabers won’t turn 21 until his first NFL training camp, and as he continues to polish his route-running, his upside is immense.

Industry experts have compared him to Antonio Brown, Garrett Wilson and D.J. Moore.

Rome Odunze’s size-agility combination makes a difficult downfield cover for opposing cornerbacks. Getty Images© Provided by New York Post

Rome Odunze has potential

At first glance, Odunze will strike you as a prototypical X receiver with his 6-foot-3, 212-pound frame.

However, he ran a 4.03-second 20-yard shuttle, which is in the 91st percentile for the wide receiver position, and that agility shines in his elite route-running.

That size-agility combination makes Odunze a difficult downfield cover for opposing cornerbacks.

While there are questions about Nabers against press coverage, that’s not the case with Odunze.

According to Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception profile, the Washington product was in the 92nd percentile for success against press coverage. Harmon also tracked Odunze with 80th percentile or better marks in route-running success against both man and zone coverage.

Odunze showed no difficulties separating on film, but he was excellent when asked to make plays in tight coverage as well. He led the country with 21 contested catches per PFF and an elite 75% catch rate on those contested attempts.

His length, physicality and coordination at the catch point have drawn comparisons to the elite Davante Adams.