Lawrence Jordan: Hakeem Nicks, former Tar Heel and Charlotte Independence alum, is starting to make an impact in the NFL and people are taking notice. Nicks found the end zone for the second straight week, and appears to be gaining the trust of Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Nicks scored his first career touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in NFL week 4 on an initial 5 yard out that he turned into a 54 yard touchdown pass. Nicks scored his second touchdown last weekend against the Oakland Raiders in NFL week 5 on a 9 yard pass from Manning, and totaled 4 catches for 49 yards while leading the Giants team in targets with 6.
An opening week injury slowed Nicks production this season when he had to sit out week 2 and week 3 to recover, but he's bounced back and on his way to becoming a reliable target for Eli Manning.
It's been a few years since UNC produced an exciting NFL offensive player, Willie Parker not wanting to claim allegiance and Alge Crumpler entering his 10th NFL season, and Nicks has the potential to become a star. I'll be watching for him on Sundays the rest of the season along with his draft classmates Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster.
Nicks holds 14 receiving records for the Tar Heels, and it is exciting to see his production carrying over to the next level. Butch Davis will not overlook this fact on the increasingly tougher NC recruiting trail.
5 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD against the Saints 10/18/09. 3rd straight week finding the endzone.
ReplyDelete4 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD against the Cardinals 10/23/09. 4th straight week finding endzone.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Tate and Sam Aiken saw productive game minutes for the Patriots across the pond, too.
4 catches, 53 yards, 1 fumble against the Eagles 11/1/09. No TD this week breaking his streaks, but continues to be targeted within offense.
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