Giants nab safety, cornerback on Night 2; Jets draft wide receiver in Round 3
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey -- The New York Giants drafted Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin and Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips on Friday night, while the Jets traded up to grab Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley.
It comes after the first night of the draft which saw an historic run of offensive players come off the board, as teams -- including the Giants and New York Jets focused on addressing that area of their clubs.
Hoping to find an explosive wide receiver to open up their offense in the way Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU did a decade ago, the Giants went back to Cajun country and selected Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Nabers gives the Giants a physical receiver with elite ball skills and route-running ability. He caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 TDs last season with the Tigers of the Southeastern Conference.
"Not coming into, you know, trying to replace Odell," Nabers said of the Giants' first-round pick in 2014. "I'm just trying to lead into my own legacy."
Nabers will have to step up to match Beckham, who was the last Giants receiver to gain 1,000 yards (2018). From 2014-16, Beckham caught at least 90 passes for 1,300 yards each season and combined for 35 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Jets went with protection over a pass catcher with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu was selected at No. 11 overall by New York after the Jets traded down one spot Thursday night.
"I'm just excited about Olu," general manager Joe Douglas said. "A proven pass protector, left tackle. I feel like he can really develop and become an impact player for us moving forward."
The pick came after the Jets dealt the No. 10 overall selection to the Minnesota Vikings - who took Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. New York also sent a sixth-rounder (No. 203) to Minnesota, which traded No. 11 overall along with a fourth-rounder (No. 129) and a fifth-rounder (No. 157) to the Jets.
The Giants have five picks over the final two days.
They addressed the safety and cornerback position by picking Nubin and Phillips, but they need help at running back, defensive tackle, and maybe a young quarterback to join a room that includes Jones, veteran Drew Lock and hometown hero Tommy DeVito.
The Jets only had one pick slotted on night two, and ended up trading with the Carolina Panthers to grab Corley with 65th overall pick.
Coverage of the second and third rounds of the draft kicks off at 7 p.m. on ABC 7 and ESPN.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
