Nick Saban influenced Giants’ draft plans by naming two top prospects who were ‘f—-ing problems’ in college

The Giants have been a focal point of the NFL this offseason. Not just because of their quarterback drama in free agency and in the draft, but also thanks to their participation in HBO’s offseason version of “Hard Knocks.” And in the latest episode, the drama got drilled down even further, with Giants coach Brian Daboll revealing former Alabama coach-turned-ESPN analyst Nick Saban helped to influence who New York wanted to take with the No. 6 pick.

More specifically, a phone conversation between Saban and Daboll the day of the draft really allowed the Giants to hone in on either Malik Nabers or Brock Bowers. GM Joe Schoen was meeting with Daboll as well as Giants co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara to go over the plan on draft night. 

Ownership, recalling the trade up for Eli Manning, seemed inclined on being bold and chasing a quarterback. Daboll’s recounting of the convo with Saban on the latest “Hard Knocks” episode seemed intended to change that perspective. 

Daboll recalled: “On the way in [to the office], I was talking to Nick, you know, Saban, and said ‘Hey … the last couple of years, gimme the guys in the draft, your top three.’ And he’s like, ‘There are two skill guys that are f—-ing problems. And they were problems when we played them. Big time problems.’ 

“First one is Malik [Nabers]. He [Saban] f—-ing went off on him. And then [Brock] Bowers was the other one. He’s like, ‘F—-ing guys are problems.’”

A lot of things to break down here. 

First of all, I freaking loved the way Dabol quasi-humblebragged/name-dropped Saban. “Nick, you know, Saban.” I couldn’t tell if it was designed to maximize the importance of his connection or to emphasize the gravity of the advice or if he just flat out realized they might not know which Nick he was talking about after he said “Nick.”

Second, Saban wasn’t wrong! Nabers didn’t play against Bama his freshman year, was the leading receiver in a ground-heavy approach (Jaylen Daniels threw for less than 200 yards) as a sophomore and then exploded last year for 10 catches, 171 yards and a touchdown against the Crimson Tide. 

Bowers’ first game as a freshman against Saban’s defense was a doozy, with the tight end going for 10 catches, 139 yards and a touchdown in a Bulldogs loss. Georgia would bounce back in the SEC title game with a win, but Bowers “only” had four catches, 39 yards and a score in the 33-18 win. Last year he went for five catches and 53 yards in an SEC title-game loss. 

Safe to say Saban started focusing in on Bowers after that first blowup spot. Regardless, we’re talking about one of the greatest defensive minds of all time talking about these two players. 

Finally, it’s worth noting the Giants did want to trade up and get a quarterback. But when adjusted for cost, the move simply wasn’t worth what the Patriots wanted in order to get up to No. 3. The Giants also had a contingency plan in place to trade down if Nabers went fifth to the Chargers and eventually got an offer from the Jets to slide down to No. 11 in exchange for another first-round pick (No. 23 in the same draft). 

Schoen, on a “For Internal Use Only” computer program they showed several times on HBO, fired up various pivot points in the draft based on what the Cardinals and Chargers did or if someone else traded up to No. 5. Essentially the Giants set their ceiling and floor at Nabers and Bowers, with the ability to trade down only if both were gone (an almost impossible situation given the quarterback depth in this draft class and the presence of Marvin Harrison Jr.). 

At the end of the day, they felt really comfortable landing either Nabers or Bowers with their selection, and the colorful recommendation from Nick Saban only helped to solidify that process.