Russell Wilson on the mark when it comes to Giants' Malik Nabers

Russell Wilson namedropped close to three dozen former and now current teammates, coaches and executives during his introductory news conference with the Giants on Wednesday evening. He scattered shoutouts like grass seed, dropping handfuls at a time, going all the way back to his days at N.C. State as an 18-year-old.

It was, to be honest, a bit tedious at times.

But there was one person whose hat tip from New York’s newest quarterback felt far less gratuitous and smarmy than any of the others. It should be genuine, too, because this is the guy who will probably make or break Wilson’s tenure with the Giants, the one who will determine whether this one-time Super Bowl winner can regain some of his fading grooves or fizzle away into a footnote.

“I love Malik, man,” Wilson said of his new number one wideout.

Malik Nabers is, of course, the record-setting receiver who posted astonishing numbers as a rookie despite playing with four different quarterbacks on a three-win team.

More than that, he is the cornerstone of what the Giants are trying to build. If they succeed, he’ll be a superstar. If they fail, well, he’ll be the only one left. While just about everyone in the organization from Joe Schoen on down is precariously holding onto their job – a list that now includes Wilson on his one-year deal with the likelihood that his eventual replacement will be drafted next month – Nabers seems to have staying power beyond the current regime. The Giants didn’t unretire the first number ever retired in professional sports for him to wear for just a few years. No, Nabers is part of the plans, all of them, from A to Z.

So it is definitely smart that Wilson knows whom to be cozying up to.

“K.Y.P.,” Wilson said. It’s an acronym for Know Your Personnel. And when it comes to Nabers, Wilson knows what they can both become together.

“Watching this freak of an athlete in Nabers, I mean, when he touches the ball he may score every single time,” Wilson said. “He’s been exciting, I’ve got to talk to him along the way. He’s fired up. We’ve had a lot of good conversations so far. We’re just really excited to get to work.”

Wilson’s studies went beyond those chats. He raved about some of the specific plays he’s gone back and watched from Nabers’ rookie year ever since the prospect of becoming his teammate became a possibility.

“He caught this one catch against the Commanders on a shallow cross on a third down and he cut back inside, got another extra 20 yards,” Wilson said. “Got hit pretty good, he kind of laid the boom or vice versa, and he got up right away and just was celebrating, excited about the first down, and then moved on to the next play.”

Then there was the one against Indianapolis.

“He catches that screen against the Colts and takes it 80 yards, 70 yards,” Wilson said (even though it was really just 59 yards). “That’s pretty special. There are only so many human beings in the world who can do that, and he is one of them.”

Nabers is probably pretty hyped to have Wilson, too. He’ll finally have a quarterback who can get him the ball accurately and down the field. Wilson also gives Nabers the kind of vibes he wants from the position, the desire to win and lead that he didn’t see as a rookie.

Nabers has spoken several times since the end of the season about the Giants’ blurry quarterback situation. He’s touted Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, and he may yet have a chance to play with them. But he has also remained steadfast in his opinion that a draft pick alone would not fill the vacuum.

"I would want to have a vet in there," Nabers said on “PFT Live” in February. "If we decide to pick a rookie, in my eye I would want a vet to be in that same room with that rookie teaching him some stuff so when he's out there -- he's not just out there in his head [thinking] he has to be the savior of this team. That's a lot to put on a rookie."

Wilson may not be the savior of this team either.

Nabers? He could be. But he’s at a dependent position, one that relies on a quarterback to get the ball to him. If Wilson can be the one who does that, it will benefit both of them… not to mention the entire team.

“I’ve gotten to play with some really great young talent over the years that was still learning and growing, and you bring ’em with you,” Wilson said. “You take them where they can go, you paint a picture for them. I’m excited about doing that.”

Wilson already loves Nabers.

Wait until he actually throws a football to him.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.