NEW YORK — Malik Nabers questioned the New York Giants’ selection of Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 5 overall on a Thursday night draft show and expressed disappointment that they passed twice on Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs, letting him fall to the rival Dallas Cowboys at No. 11.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the player, but where do you play [him]?” Nabers said on Bleacher Report’s live show when the Giants picked Reese. “You want to be on the outside of the rush, but we just drafted somebody last year [Abdul Carter] to do that same position. The reason I say [take] Caleb Downs is you have to get them when they’re available. It’s not saying, ‘ He’s gonna be there at 10.’

Nabers said the Dexter Lawrence trade created a hole in the Giants‘ defense that he doesn’t believe Reese fills.

“Because you just traded Dex, you need interior D-line,” the wide receiver said. “I understand getting outside backer, he wants to rush, OK cool. But when you eliminate something from there, you have to put something in the back end.”

The Giants picked Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa at No. 10 overall. Then Nabers showed the most emotion when the Cowboys traded up to No. 11 and picked Downs.

“Oh!” Nabers yelled out, rising from a couch and limping around the room. “I’d rather get him than play against him. I even told him, I said, ‘I’m coming to get you.’ I gotta play against this thing again?"

Why was Nabers referring to Downs as a "thing"?

“Bro, he’s good. He’s very good,” Nabers said. “He’s very good. Bro, he’s very good. We all had him No. 1 [for the Giants]. He’s very good.”

Nabers, 22, who is rehabbing a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, saw the social media reaction to his comments and tried to explain himself.

“First off, we have to stop overreacting,” he posted on X. “I would never intentionally take away from the biggest moment/night of Arvell’s life. Very excited to see him play on the team and happy that we have another dawg on the squad!! #gobigblue.”

But he obviously had shown his true feelings on the Giants’ team building with his live reactions to the picks.

He also had interesting opinions about two offensive skill players in the top 10: Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.

Nabers grimaced when the Arizona Cardinals picked Love at No. 3 and admitted Love would have done a lot for the Giants’ offense, including for Nabers himself.

“Granted, I love my running backs I have now, absolutely,” Nabers said. “But having that kind of running back in the backfield with Jaxson, bro, you don’t know who’s getting the ball. He’s a home run back. The defense has to come down and play that. It gives me an opportunity to not face double coverage. You have to bring them down. You got Jaxson back there with J. Love. So you got to pick your poison.”

When Nabers discussed the possibility of the Giants picking Tyson with host Adam Lefkoe and co-analyst Micah Parsons prior to New York’s first pick, the Green Bay Packers edge rusher, he revealed some knowledge of the business side of the league.

He said using a top 10 pick on Tyson probably would mean sooner or later the Giants would end up trading Nabers due to contract timelines and team-building needs.

“Understand, OK, you draft a receiver at five and put him on the side of me, yes,” Nabers said. “But you’re basically gonna pay him more than me, and I’m your number one receiver. Then, after that, it’s like you paid him, and I’m on Year 3. Then in two years, he’s gonna be in year three, and I’m probably gonna be in contract.

“You’re basically saying, OK cool, we had our number one, but we already drafted a No. 1 receiver at five,” he continued. “We could just trade Malik and put [Tyson] in the role and start over.”

Parson, who was traded from Dallas to Green Bay last year, smiled: “Hey, that’s how it gets buddy! Welcome to my world.”

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