Tag: Malik Nabers NFL draft

New York Giants select LSU WR Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick. Grade: A+

The Giants just got a whole lot better with the addition of Malik Nabers.

Outside of Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, there wasn’t a player I regarded more highly in this draft class than Malik Nabers. This is WR! here, and Nabers gives head coach Brian Daboll all kinds of options all over the formation. Nabers has Justin Jefferson-level polish to the intermediate and deep levels of the field, and he brings a serious DAWG style to the field. The Giants still have some serious questions at quarterback, but they just got exponentially better at receiver. 

A four-star recruit out of Southside High School in Youngsville, Louisiana, Nabers was a football, basketball, and track star in high school, and chose Mississippi State over Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Penn State and Texas A&M before changing his mind and committing to the Tigers. Nabers made Freshman All-SEC in 2021, but the ceiling really rose in 2022, when he caught 72 passes on 100 targets for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns.

Nabers absolutely torched the field in his third season with the Tigers, catching 89 balls on 128 targets for 1,568 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. On passes of 20 or more air yards from Jayden Daniels, who may have been the NCAA’s best deep thrower in the 2023 season, Nabers had 19 catches on 29 targets for 624 yards and nine touchdowns, and his NFL team could give him even more deep-ball volume, depending on the offense. Nabers primarily ran go, seam, and hitch routes in 2023, but he’s got enough tape doing other things to point to route versatility, which will be of paramount importance for any receiver with his explosive profile.

If you’re looking for the next great speed receiver in the Tyreek Hill mold, you might have to wait in line for this guy.

PLUSES

— Legit home run speed to any area of the field; can just as easily run by a cornerback for 60 yards as he can turn a hitch or stop route into a 50-yard touchdown.

— Leans into his route stems subtly and professionally and doesn’t lose a lot of speed when doing so.

— Unafraid to catch the ball in traffic; he’ll get the grimy yards after the catch.

— Changes the geometry of the defense; your safeties are playing back nervously.

MINUSES

— Not a blocker of note, but that’s not why you want him on the field.

— Could work to expand his catch radius; he’s more capable of getting the ball clean and turning it into a car chase.

— Focus and timing drops are notable enough for it to be a small coaching point at the NFL level.

— 50/50 balls are about 50/50; he’s not your ideal contested-catch target.

The combination of pure speed and route understanding could have Nabers as the top WR in this class. If Marvin Harrison Jr. is No. 1 on anybody’s board, Nabers should be at least 1A for his own special reasons.

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: WR Malik Nabers, LSU

Find out why this junior is an elite prospect in a stellar class of WRs.

LSU has produced several top-flight NFL wide receivers in recent years, and 2024 NFL Draft prospect Malik Nabers leaves the program as decorated as any of them. He set the school record for receiving yards with 3,003 and receptions (189) in three seasons.

He won SEC All-Freshman recognition in 2021 on the strength of four TDs, and broke out as a sophomore with a conference-leading 72 grabs. Nabers saved his best for last, going for a masterful stat line of 89 catches, 1,569 yards and 14 aerial touchdowns as a junior. He paced the SEC in receptions, finished second in yardage, and was good for third in scoring among FBS competition. All told, Nabers was selected as a First-team All-SEC member and First-team Associated Press All-American.

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 200 pounds
40 time: 4.35 seconds (unofficial)

Table: WR Malik Nabers, LSU (2021-23)

Year Team Class Gm Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds TD
*2021 LSU Fr 11 28 417 14.9 4 4 23 0
*2022 LSU So 14 72 1,017 14.1 3 1 5 0
*2023 LSU Jr 13 89 1,569 17.6 14 1 1 0
Totals 28 189 3,003 15.9 21 6 29 0

*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)
**player gained extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 pandemic

Pros

  • Explosive playmaker — ranks in the 92nd percentile for broad jump and vertical jump among wideouts — averaged a hearty 15.9 yards per grab over three seasons
  • Ran 4.35 at his Pro Day, which would have been in the top 8% of all receivers to have run at the NFL combine
  • Has a legit second gear to chase down overthrown balls
  • Premium hands — catches away from his body and flashes late deployment
  • Plays from any receiver spot but was more productive out of the slot
  • Quality route runner who typically demonstrates advanced knowledge throughout the route tree — understands how to sell fakes (damning double move) and varies his speed
  • Built thickly enough to power through arm tackles and fight for tough yardage — plays bigger than he measures
  • Competitive nature jumps off the screen
  • Has the rare ability to be many different wide receiver models — can be a bull in a china shop in traffic, run past people on verticals, and win high-point battles on 50/50 balls
  • Fits just about any system
  • Has the functional strength and hands to develop into a plus blocker

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Cons

  • Overall has great hands, but you’ll find what look to be concentration-lapse drops on otherwise routine catches
  • Displays more linear burst and isn’t really twitched up laterally
  • Shows a better grasp vs. zone coverage than man
  • Occasionally gets handsy at the top of his route when trying to gain separation — picky NFL refs could call fouls for excessive hand checks

Fantasy football outlook

Such an impressive resume in the nation’s toughest conference as well as imposing physical traits place Nabers among the top picks — regardless of position — in the upcoming draft. While it may be a lazy comparison to some, there’s a blend of former LSU Tigers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson in his aerial game, but Nabers has flashes of guys like Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown with the ball in his hands.

A trio of quarterbacks are likely to go in the first three picks, and this Louisiana native is in a three-way competition to be the top receiver chosen. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. figures to be the first wideout off the board, perhaps as high as No. 4 overall (Arizona Cardinals), and in that case Nabers vs. Washington’s Rome Odunze becomes the decision for several teams in the top 10, including the Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5), New York Giants (No. 6), and Chicago Bears (No. 9).

Of course, any number of teams could be in love with what they see in Nabers and trade up to secure his services. Without knowing where he’ll play this year, a precise fantasy valuation will have to wait a few more days, but Nabers could range from a high-end No. 3 to a low-tier WR1 as a rookie. He’s more than just a deep threat and will develop into a phenomenal pro, possibly as soon as Year 1.