Rookie Spotlight: Malik Nabers, LSU

Height: 6-0 (unofficial)
Weight: 200 (unofficial)
2024 Age: 21 – (7/28/03)
40-yard dash: 4.44 (projected)

NFL Play-Style Comparison: Torry Holt, Stefon Diggs
Draft Grade: Early 1st Round
Breakout Age: 19 (Sophomore)

 

Offensive Market Share Metrics (Final Season)

Receptions: 31%
Receiving Yards: 36%
Receiving TDs: 42%

High School: Southside (Youngsville, Louisiana)
As a high school prospect: Class of 2021; 4-star
College Attended: LSU

 

Pros
– Elite acceleration and change of direction at the catch point

– Led College Football in 2023 with 3.64 YPRR (yards per route run).

– Reaction time lags but works downfield when quarterback progression breaks down

– 70 of 89 receptions were for 1st downs or touchdowns.

– Creates elite separation with footwork, showing the ability to stop at the top of a route and work back to the football.

– 2021 Freshman All-SEC finishing with 28 receptions and 417 yards

– Consensus All-American (AP, AFCA, FWAA, Walter Camp, Sporting News)

 

Cons

– Shows leaner than his 200lbs listening portrays.

– At times, lacks the fortitude to attack underthrown footballs or compete in contested situations.

 

 

Scouting Notes:
Malik Nabers burst onto the scene in 2021 as a freshman while playing with presumed at the time stud receiver, Kayshon Boutte. After Nabers broke through in Week 9 of the 2021 season against UL-Monroe, evaluators’ eyes perked up, believing he was the “next” great receiver to come through the LSU program. They were right, Nabers went on to reach the 1,000-yard marker in 2022 while playing with Boutte again, this time suppressing Boutte and showing an early connection with new quarterback Jayden Daniels. Throughout two seasons with Daniels at QB, Nabers hauled in 161 receptions for 2,586 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns, leading the Tigers in both categories and finishing as the Biletnikoff Award runner-up, losing by just one vote too Marvin Harrison Jr., from Ohio State. There is no best comparable for Malik Nabers, he brings a lot to the table that is unanswerable – his frame suggests he weighs 190 lbs, but his play style suggests he is 210 lbs. His quickness, and burst after the catch is that of a Ja’Marr Chase, while his projection of defenders and route savviness is that of a Stefon Diggs. With the ball skills of Justin Jefferson, it’s tough not to see what all the buzz is about with one Malik Nabers out of LSU – a player with few miss-steps along the way, Nabers can occasionally “shut it off” when the ball is thrown inaccurate or out of range, but he rarely underachieves when his quarterback is under stress in the pocket, Nabers is always feeling for the green in the defense and working to assist his quarterback

Fantasy Outlook:
Projecting Malik Nabers into the NFL doesn’t require much imagination after turning the tape off, the ideal scenario is in Los Angeles with Justin Herbert at the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft, with Keenen Allen and Mike Williams on the way out, Nabers would gift the Chargers with a primary no.1 receiver and EARLY success as we saw from his fellow LSU Tiger teammates. Situations could however arise for Nabers, limiting his ceiling in year 1 and overall dynasty value – being connected to a quarterback like Daniel Jones in New York or Aidan O’Connell in Las Vegas would be detrimental to Nabers’ early success in the NFL. All things considered, Nabers is the safest prospect at the wide receiver position to project into the NFL and looks to be a bonified Top-10 Dynasty Wide Receiver before the end of the 2024 calendar year.

Cody Carpentier