Malik Nabers, WR LSU: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Nabers was a four-star recruit from Southside High School in Youngsville, La. in the class of 2021

LSU’s Malik Nabers went off against Mississippi State for 239 receiving yards. The junior is one of the four best wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft and projects as a first round pick.

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Malik Nabers, WR LSU: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Youngsville, La.

Background: Nabers was a four-star recruit from Southside High School in Youngsville, La. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 251 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 199 for On3.com. Nabers was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Mississippi State before flipping to LSU. Nabers transferred to Southside from Comeaux High School for his senior season. However, he didn’t play football as a high school senior because his transfer waiver was denied. In 2019, Nabers caught 58 passes for 1,223 yards and 21 touchdowns at Comeaux. He played for the seven-on-seven Louisiana Bootlegger team the summer between his sophomore and junior seasons. In high school, he clocked a 4.44 40-yard dash and jumped 38 inches in the vertical. Nabers also participated in basketball and the 100-meter, 200-meter, and relay events for track and field.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games in 2021 with a shoulder injury

Awards: 2021 Freshman All-SEC, 2022 Third Team All-SEC (PFF), 2023 Citrus Bowl MVP

Pros: Experience out wide and in the slot, arm length will meet NFL standards, quick and choppy feet aid release, footwork during releases, speed off the line, acceleration to top speed is sudden and difficult to match, speed to blow by some defenders in off-man, changes route tempo and uses hesitation moves, physical at the top of the stem to separate on comeback routes, caught multiple comeback routes right in front of Kool-Aid McKinstry (2022), speed helps him sell vertical routes before cutting, gravity pulls defenders with him on clear-out routes, creative with the ball in his hands, good sense of spacing vs. zone as a route runner, stacked Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter (2022), ran by Kelee Ringo in zone and out-leveraged safety Malaki Starks (2022) for a touchdown reception, came back and beat bracket coverage by Ringo and Starks for a 59-yard reception, natural hands catcher, contorts body mid-air for receptions, makes concentration grabs, finishes catches in a crowd and through contact, surprising dominance in contested catch situations

Cons: Minimal special teams experience, build isn’t outstanding in any area, not twitchy, limited route tree, needs to use hands more in release package, sturdy punches in press stunt his routes, lacks elite deep speed, unable to generate much vertical separation against Kool-Aid McKinstry (2022), pushes off on comeback routes to generate separation, delayed getting back toward the QB on comeback routes, should sink hips more on comeback routes, room to sharpen his cuts, inconsistent ability to generate missed tackles, YAC relies on speed more than agility or power, inconsistent effort as a blocker

Overview: Nabers has experience lining up out wide and in the slot for LSU. He has returned a few punts and kicks but overall has very little special teams experience. Nabers’ build isn’t outstanding in any area, but his arm length should meet NFL standards. He uses quick and choppy footwork to set corners up as part of his release package. Nabers should incorporate his hands into his releases more often to counteract punches in press coverage that stunt his routes. He offers good speed off the line with the sudden acceleration to reach his top speed quickly. Nabers lacks elite deep speed, but he blows by some defenders in off-man. Defenders like Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry have no trouble carrying Nabers vertically in man-to-man, but all corners have to respect the junior receiver’s deep speed. This allows Nabers to sell vertical routes before breaking for short or intermediate routes. The Louisiana native carries downfield gravity to pull defenders with him on clear-out routes. He mixes route tempo and uses hesitation moves to lull defenders. Nabers is physical at the top of the stem to separate on comeback routes and caught two passes on comeback routes in front of Kool-Aid McKinstry (2022). However, the former four-star recruit tends to push off on comeback routes. He needs to sink his hips more on these plays and get flipped back around to the quarterback sooner. Nabers runs a limited route tree, and there’s room in his game to sharpen his cuts. He showcases a good sense of spacing against zone coverage. Nabers isn’t twitchy, and he relies on his speed more than his agility or power to generate yards after the catch. Fortunately, he is creative with the ball in his hands. Nabers stacked Kamari Lassiter and beat the combination of Kelee Ringo and Malaki Starks twice for big plays in LSU’s 2022 matchup against Georgia. Nabers is a natural hands catcher who contorts his body mid-air for receptions. He finishes catches in a crowd and through contact. Despite his frame, Nabers is dominant in contested catch situations because of his soft hands and ball skills.

Overall, Nabers lacks elite athletic traits, but he’s a well-rounded player with impressive acceleration and ball skills. He beat some highly-viewed SEC defenders in 2022 while leading a 10-4 LSU squad in yards from scrimmage. Early in his NFL career, Nabers projects as a quality WR2 who splits time between the slot and outside.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot or Z receiver in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: First Round

Size: 6'0", 200 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-27-23