New York Giants coach Brian Daboll looked at former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, seated at a whiteboard in a suite inside Lucas Oil Stadium, and presented him with a straightforward scenario.

“Say that we draft you, you come up to New York,” Daboll began, “it’s a pretty big market and you play the first three games and they’re pretty rough and you’re getting hammered in the press, how are you going to handle that? Who are you going to go to? Who do you talk with?”

“Well, for me,” Daniels responded, “I’ll just say, I played in Death Valley so I feel like I’m prepared for anything.”

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NFL fans everywhere got a glimpse inside the pre-draft process Tuesday night during the second episode of HBO’s new offseason "Hard Knocks," featuring the Giants. Scenes from the NFL combine in February were featured prominently, with Daboll and New York’s front office personnel quizzing prospective draft picks during private interviews.

Future No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy were asked to draw up their favorite plays on the spot. UNC’s Drake Maye had to digest New York’s play call language in an instant. Giants wide receivers coach Mike Groh even tried to bait Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. into criticizing former Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord after showing a badly thrown ball on the TV.

How Brian Daboll tested Jayden Daniels

It was Daniels and former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers who seemed to be the focus of the most intense questioning from Daboll.

“Leadership wise, he’s a two-time captain,” a Giants scout said of Daniels in the episode, “but he’s not going to be a vocal leader. He’s improving in that regard this year. Mentally, I think in an interview setting, just putting him on the spot with stuff and getting a feel for recall will be really important.”

So that’s what Daboll did. During one exchange, he had Daniels draw up his favorite play. Then, Daboll had him change it on the fly.

“Hey J, erase that Z, make him the F,” Daboll said. “Erase the X and make him the Z. Erase the W and make him the X. Erase the T and make him the H. Ready? Gun trolley right 64 house X in. Give it back to me. … Don’t look at it. Give it back to me how we call it.

“The whole play?” Daniels asked. “Gun Trolley right house F in.”

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“X in. That’s OK,” Daboll said. “And if it’s Cover 1, what do we want you to do probably?”

“Throw a touchdown,” Daniels responded.

“Alright, I like that answer,” Daboll said.

Daniels wound up being picked by the Washington Commanders with the No. 2 overall selection.

What New York Giants wanted to know about Malik Nabers

For Nabers, the questions shown during “Hard Knocks” revolved around his attitude and how he might fit in the Giants locker room.

“How do you handle losing?” Daboll asked Nabers.

“Not at all,” Nabers said back. “I really hate, I hate losing more than I like winning.”

“How do you handle not being involved early in the game?” Daboll then asked.

“How do I handle it? I handle it pretty tough,” Nabers said, “especially during the week, being in the offense in the week, putting in the work with the one offense, getting a lot of plays known to be called for me. So if I’m not in those plays and not getting the ball, I’m pretty hard on them.”

“I don’t mind that. I want guys that want to get the ball, and I want guys that hate (expletive) losing,” Daboll said. “But you got to learn to harness that a little bit. I don’t mind the competitive (expletive) juice. We need some dogs that want the ball. Sometimes you lose. I lose as a coach. But you got to learn to harness that good.”

HBO then cut to Giants general manager Joe Schoen and assistant GM Brandon Brown discussing Nabers from their suite in Indianapolis after the interview was over.

“I thought he was going to come across more edge, the way he plays,” Schoen said. “He was more, like, reserved. Like damn, that’s the same dude out there that’s like running people over.”

“I just don’t know the kid, in general,” Brown added. “I don’t view any of it as a negative. I just want to get around him. … Name me a dominant player at that position or the corner position or a pass rusher that was a choir boy. He gives us something we don’t have. My biggest thing with him is, whoever the QB is, will they be able to handle it?”

Evidently, they got the right answer to their questions. The Giants selected Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick two months later during the 2024 NFL Draft.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers grilled by Brian Daboll on 'Hard Knocks'