An early favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, who continued his impressive first season with New York on Thursday night with 12 catches for 115 yards.
Through four games this season, Nabers leads the NFL in catches (35), receiving yards (386) and receiving touchdowns (3).
Sure, his Giants are one of only two teams to have played four games to this point. But you take those impressive statistics and you combine them with the eye test, and it’s clear that the Giants got themselves a bonafide stud with the number six overall pick out of LSU.
This, inevitably, will get the 20/20 hindsight going for the five fanbases who selected ahead of New York in the 2024 NFL Draft. And one of those teams, of course, was the New England Patriots.
The Greg Hill Show decided to test their vision on Friday morning.
“Too early to argue, but I’m gonna do it anyway,” said Greg. “Could you argue that the New England Patriots, perhaps, should have chosen [Nabers], and gone and got a veteran quarterback - not Jacoby Brissett, somebody else to be the quarterback?”
WEEI’s Chris Curtis said that if the Patriots were to have picked a non-quarterback at number three overall in 2024, they would have chosen wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State. With that said, he still feels New England made the right choice with their selection of quarterback Drake Maye.
“I think that you have to get the quarterback,” said Curtis. “I initially had that feeling, Greg. But if you believe Drake Maye can be a very-good-to-great quarterback, then you have him elevate those around him.”
WEEI’s Jermaine Wiggins agreed with Curtis, and pointed to the Patriots’ Week 4 opponent as an example as to why Maye was the move despite Nabers’ early pop through four weeks.
“They always say, ‘Build a team like San Francisco, where you don’t need the quarterback,’” said Wiggy. “But they’re saying, ‘Well, isn’t the issue in San Francisco is that the quarterback can’t get you over the hump?’
“So isn’t it better to build a team with the quarterback first? Get the quarterback, and then build around that guy versus going to get a Malik Nabers or even a Marvin Harrison Jr. without the quarterback.”
For the past two seasons, the 49ers have been among the favorites to win the Super Bowl out of the NFC.
In 2022, they lost in the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia 31-7, with their starting quarterback Brock Purdy leaving the game with an injury after starting the game 4 for 4 passing. Purdy tore his UCL on his throwing elbow on a hit by Eagles pass rusher Hassan Reddick.
In 2023, they lost in the Super Bowl to the Chiefs 25-22. Purdy was 23 of 38 for 255 yards and a touchdown, for a passer rating of 89.3.
Not sure you can fully “blame” Purdy for how either season ended. But with how talented the 49ers’ roster is, football fans and media alike routinely question whether or not a different QB under center would elevate San Francisco to a true championship-winning tier. With Purdy forever wearing the title of “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft (Round 7, Pick 262), these questions will always be asked until he wins a Super Bowl with the 49ers.
“Let’s say you dropped Justin Herbert on the 49ers,” said Wiggy. “Do they have a better chance of winning a Super Bowl with him or Brock Purdy?”
“It’s Herbert, and it’s not even close,” said WEEI’s Chris Schiem.
So at the moment, The Greg Hill Show is sticking with the idea that the Patriots made the right call at number three overall.
Let’s see how this take develops throughout the remainder of Nabers’ and Maye’s rookie seasons.