Malik Nabers | LSU 6’0” 200 lbs. 7/28/03 (Age 20)
Malik Nabers was drafted by the New York Giants, becoming the 2nd wide receiver and 6th overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
| Year | Games Played | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Reception | TDs |
| 2021 (FR) | 11 | 28 | 417 | 14.9 | 4 |
| 2022 (SO) | 14 | 72 | 1017 | 14.1 | 3 |
| 2023 (JR) | 13 | 89 | 1569 | 17.6 | 14 |
Malik Nabers broke out during his 2022 season with the LSU Tigers but hit his stride in his third season posting over 1,500 receiving yards that cemented his status as a Top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Nabers is just the second player in LSU history to have 3,000 career receiving yards and is now the all-time receiving yardage leader at the college with 3,003. The Unanimous All-American was second in his draft class in receiving yardage and tied for third in touchdowns with 14. He had 3.64 yards per route run and 6.6 yards after the catch per reception, both of which were higher than the first wide receiver selected in this draft (Marvin Harrison Jr.). Nabers was selected by the Giants just four picks after his LSU teammate, quarterback Jayden Daniels.
FILM
Malik Nabers was listed as the highest-graded wide receiver out of the 2024 class per PFF with a grade of 93.1. As an incredibly explosive player, he can seemingly cut on a dime and shift gears at will when running routes or carrying the ball in the open field. Nabers has great hands with just a 5.3% drop rate and has exceptional ball-tracking ability making him virtually matchup-proof and a deep threat in the NFL. He plays with a level of physicality that not only shows up on film but in the stats as well. Malik forced 30 missed tackles in 2023 alone which averages to about 3 missed tackles forced per game. With his level of talent and 6th overall draft capital, Malik Nabers will undoubtedly be the number 1 receiving option for the Giants, who hopefully make a move on a new quarterback sooner rather than later to get the ball in Nabers hands.
ATHLETIC TESTING
Malik Nabers is not only fast-twitch and shifty, but fast as well. He posted a 4.35 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine which lands in the 93rd percentile compared to historical performances. Nabers was over the 50th percentile in contested catch rate, not because of his size, but because he can jump 42” vertically (98th percentile). Additionally, his broad jump was over the 90th percentile mark. All metrics combined lead to a massive 9.88 out of 10 relative athletic score. This ranks 38 out of 3188 WR from 1987 to 2024. Nabers is an athletic freak and it’s one of the many reasons he was such a highly touted prospect.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Excellent
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Above Average
Malik Nabers was selected with the 6th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Nabers will take over the wide receiver 1 role in this offense immediately.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
I have Malik Nabers ranked as the number two wide receiver in this class, second only to Marvin Harrison Jr. who is a more pro-ready prospect and has Kyler Murray throwing him passes instead of Daniel Jones. On paper, Nabers landing spot wasn’t great with the Giants due to the QB, but he has almost zero competition for volume joining a WR room consisting of Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Isaiah Rodgers. It’s possible he may set records with the number of targets he’ll get his rookie year as he’ll be the only one open. Once the Giants figure out who’s going to lead their offense, it’s game over for defenses. Nabers has WR1 overall upside and should be second only to Harrison Jr. in rookie drafts.
Nabers should go off the board in rookie drafts within the first four picks. In Superflex formats, there is no scenario out there where he should fall to the 1.05, and I think the best spot to take him is the 1.03.
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