Hakeem Nicks

The Gift

Hakeem Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. ESPN.com analyst KC Joyner believes Nicks has the potential to become the NFL's best wide receiver in part because of his superior route-running.

Nicks was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina). Playing football there, he was rated as one of the Top 10 Players in Jersey by SuperPrep and Rivals.com. He was also named the Charlotte Observer Offensive Player of the Year and was also selected to the North Carolina Associated Press All-State team. He never lost a game in high school, and completed his senior year with MVP honors at the 4-AA state championship game. In the game, he posted eight catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns (one for 11 and another for 80 yards). He posted 93 catches for 1,819 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year.

On August 1, 2009, Nicks signed a five-year, $12.54 million contract. The deal includes a $6.5 million signing bonus. During training camp, Nicks vied for a starting position with the Giants other receivers, most notably Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith.

Nicks made his first career NFL reception on September 13, 2009 against the Washington Redskins on WR screen pass for 11 yards.

On October 4, 2009 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Nicks recorded his first touchdown reception on a 54 yard screen pass. For the next four games, Nicks would score a touchdown pass in each, becoming the first Giants rookie to score touchdowns in four consecutive games since Bob Gaiters, who scored in five straight games in 1961. On the strength of that feat, Nicks was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month.

Nicks ended the season starting in the #2 wide receiver spot opposite Steve Smith after an injury to Domenik Hixon in week 2 and outperforming Mario Manningham as of week 14.

Nicks recorded his first 3-touchdown game against the Carolina Panthers during week 1 of the 2010 NFL season, catching a total of 4 passes for 75 yards in a winning effort. During week five, when Houston visited New York, Nicks exploited the NFL's 29th ranked secondary and more specifically Texans rookie cornerback Kareem Jackson as he reeled in career highs with 12 catches for 130 yards. In addition, Nicks caught two touchdown passes on the day from quarterback Eli Manning. 

source:wikipedia