LSU Wide Receiver, Malik Nabers, aligned all over the field for the Tigers; he can be featured out wide, in the slot, and in the backfield. Standing at 6’0 200 lbs., Nabers has good size and gets moved around the offense without being limited to any position. Born and raised in Louisiana, Nabers originally committed to Mississippi State coming out of high school before flipping to LSU. In 31 career starts over three seasons, Nabers became the all time leading receiver in school history. His breakout season was in 2022 as a true sophomore where he caught 72 passes for over 1,000 yards and three touchdowns. As a Junior, Nabers had over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns off of 89 receptions and was named an unanimous All-American.

Nabers is uplifting when things are going well and dejected when they aren’t. There is a contagiousness that comes with how Nabers moves; he was the life-force for the LSU’s offense. When LSU gets into the end zone, Nabers is celebrating and brings a swagger to the team. It is very reminiscent of former LSU receivers: Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham, Ja’Marr Chase, and Jarvis Landry. However, his energy swings on both sides of the pendulum; it is very apparent when he is not getting the ball and he will occasionally get caught loafing. While there are inconsistencies in his effort as a blocker, his first instinct is to throw a block when he sees his teammate catch a ball or Jayden Daniels running towards him. If a coach can harness his energy in a positive manner and create consistency in his attitude, Nabers will be an impetus for offensive success.

Some guys are quicker than fast and other’s are faster than they are quick; Nabers is both quick and fast. He has excellent speed and very good short area quickness. He is able to close space and break away from defensive backs, but also has the short area twitch to shake a defensive back when they are squared up. His ability to harmonize his speed and quickness together is what helps him generate separation and be affective after the catch. Receivers that lean on their speed tend to shy away from contact, but that isn’t the case with Nabers. He is not just explosive when running routes and with the ball in his hands, but he is explosive THROUGH contact. He dismisses attempts at re-routing and is capable of shouldering through aggressive second level defenders. While he does not have many reps against press coverage, I believe that Nabers’ combination of strength, explosiveness, and twitch will allow him to disregard any defender trying to jam him up. Nabers has the athletic ability to be a spark-plug and a play-maker for which ever team drafts him.

At the catch point, Nabers’ inconsistencies resembles his attitude. He does not have natural hands and picks his moments to be aggressive when the ball is in the air. Nabers is capable of making contested catches and has the strength to bully defensive backs when the ball is en-route, but does not do it very often. He should be working back to the ball and using his strength to fight for position, but he lets defenders out-leverage him. He is excellent after the catch, but often times doesn’t secure the catch in one motion. Nabers isn’t going to make catches outside his frame and does not have the ankle mobility to stick his foot in the ground and attack the ball. That lower-body stiffness also results in a lack of precision at the top of his routes. While Nabers’ athletic ability is going to create opportunities, his ball skills and lower half stiffness could prevent him from capitalizing on them.

Defenses fear players that can take the top off and break bracket coverage; and Nabers is one of those guys. With the emergence of players like Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel, and Ja’Marr Chase, every team is looking for a number one receiver that is both explosive and physical. Those prospects don’t come out of the draft every year and Nabers has the opportunity to be that caliber of a player. He would benefit from a stricter coach that requires his players to have a consistent work-ethic and meticulous attention to detail. If he is able to take coaching and perseverate his positivity, Nabers is going to be a special player in this league. He reminds me of Chase without Chase’s natural ball skills. He won’t fall past the Bears at pick nine, and I have a top-12 grade on him. He is going to be able to line up everywhere on the field and has a higher ceiling than any receiver not named Marvin Harrison Jr. in this year’s draft.