The Malik Nabers reason Steve Smith believes Giants should draft Carnell Tate

The New York Giants should be an exciting team to watch in the 2026 NFL Draft. New York has two selections in the top 10 after trading away Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. One Former NFL player explained why the team should avoid one prospect who is commonly mocked to New York.

Former NFL receiver Steve Smith explained why the team should pick Carnell Tate instead of Jordyn Tyson just before the draft. His rationale relies heavily on the health of Malik Nabers.

“You already have a dynamic wide receiver named Malik Nabers, who’s coming off an injury,” Smith said on his 89 podcast, per NFL insider James Palmer. “You need a guy who is ready right now to also give Nabers that runway to get back into football shape, to get back to running with his reconstructed knee. That takes time.”

Nabers suffered a torn ACL and a partially torn meniscus in his right knee during Week 4 of the 2025 season. GM Joe Schoen gave an optimistic update back in January, but Nabers should still need time to get back to full strength.

As for Tyson, he suffered a serious knee injury back in 2022 that affected multiple ligaments. He also broke his collarbone in 2024 and suffered a hamstring injury in 2025. That’s a concerning injury history, but some believe NFL teams don’t view them as red flags.

Smith also noted that head coach John Harbaugh runs pretty tough practices. That could be a problem for a rookie with a soft-tissue injury. Smith played under Harbaugh from 2014-16 with the Ravens.

“If you’ve got soft-tissue issues, [Harbaugh] ain’t the guy you want to be running your practices because the hotter it is, the more he presses and leans on you,” Smith explained. “I need a guy who is available today.”

It will be exciting to see who the Giants draft in the first round on Thursday night.

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