Draft Analysis: Malik Nabers

March 25, 2024 /
  • Height: 6’0″
  • Weight: 200 lb.
  • College: LSU
  • Tape watched: Alabama, Ole Miss, Miss State, Florida State, Missouri, Arkansas
  • NFL Comparison: Ja’Marr Chase

Pros

  • Intangibles

There is a lot to Malik Nabers’ game that can’t be taught. For example, his field presence and awareness when running routes is his best trait, in my opinion. He always ends up in the right spot on the field, regardless of how he gets there. Nabers also has an uncanny sense of locating the football. Tracking the ball in the air is one thing. Finding it in the messes that Nabers does is supernatural at times.

  • Athleticism

Nabers’ athletic profile exhibits exceptional speed and strength. He has an explosive and compact frame that isn’t bothered by physical defenders. He has plenty of long speed that threatens defenders downfield.

  • Versatility

Nabers splits were almost 50/50 between lining up as a slot vs perimeter receiver. He excels at both, with a release good enough to play on the boundary, and the explosiveness to contribute early in the slot.

  • YAC

Not quite the elite playmaking after the catch of Deebo Samuel, Nabers is close behind. He is a strong runner of the football that sheds arm tackles frequently. He gashes defenses if the first tackle misses. Nabers’ acceleration and speed pairing shoot him through small gaps in the defense. With 51 Missed Tackles Forced in the last two seasons, Nabers should have no problem translating his skillset to the NFL.

  • Hands

An absolute ball-tracking machine, Nabers has a chance at every throw. He finds passes over his head, through defenders arms, and before he even gets his head fully around to the ball. Nabers has natural hands and doesn’t need to use his body frequently. I thought Malik Nabers showed great poise and concentration in combat catch situations as well.

Midline

  • Blocking

Nabers blocking skill and ability did not pop on tape, but his effort did. He is an eager blocker on almost every play. He tries to at least get his body between himself and the runner. I think he has a good foundation to get better in the NFL. Nabers has a really strong base and shows he can have good hand placement at times.

  • Release

The mechanics and technique of Nabers’ release are really good. The only thing keeping this trait from being a Pro is the space in which he needs to win occasionally. His lateral agility and footwork aren’t elite, and he takes wider turns around defenders to climb his stem. This can hurt him as a perimeter receiver specifically, as the wide release pushes him into the sideline and helps defenders. I think he has an extra tool to unlock by using his strength through his release, also.

A great example of Nabers staying on his line but avoiding contact
  • Route Running

Drumming to the same beat of his release, Nabers’ lateral agility is the only thing holding him back at times. Nabers overall is a fantastic route runner that dominates space in the defense. He has elite abilities to find and create space in zone coverage. He always attacks the back shoulder of defenders and breaks his route off at perfect times. He plays with great tempo, knowing when to accelerate and when to be patient. Nabers Yards per Route Run stat of 3.64 is the highest in the class, as well as the highest in the 2023 class. This is a very good indicator of a successful route runner that can threaten all three levels of the defense.

The only downside to Nabers’ route running is that a lot of his routes are rounded, creating opportunities for defenders to drive on balls or recover from getting beat. He completely got away with this in college due to his athleticism and football IQ, but the NFL has smarter, better athletes that eliminate the margin of error Nabers had.

Nabers puts both defenders in a bind on this route. He perfectly scrapes off the slot defender on the switch-release.

Cons

If you want to knock Nabers for something, you can point out his average height and weight, his average lateral agility, and the fact that a lot of his deep catches were contested. Nabers had 15 drops in three seasons at LSU, but only a 5.3% drop rate the last two seasons.

Overview

Malik Nabers could emerge as the next best young receiver in the NFL, following the recent paths of Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. He oozes NFL talent and has the stats to indicate success at the next level. His speed and strong running style, paired with the versatility to play inside and out, make him a front runner to heavily contribute in an offense year one. Don’t sleep on Malik Nabers to be the first receiver taken.