Malik Nabers 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Malik Nabers 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile
Position: LSU
School: WR
Class: Junior
Date of Birth: July 28, 2003
Height: 6-0. Weight: 200 lbs
Athletic Testing
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Bio
Malik Nabers played his high school football at Ovey Comeaux High School in Lafayette, Louisiana. He spent three years there before transferring to Southside High School in Youngsville, Louisiana for his senior year. Unfortunately, however, he was unable to play football that season because his transfer waiver was denied. Luckily, his 2019 junior season with 58 receptions for 1,223 yards and 21 touchdowns was still enough to catch the attention of the major college programs. Nabers was a four-star prospect and rated as the No. 18 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 6 overall player in the state. He received offers from 32 schools, including Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Texas, and others. He originally committed to Mississippi State but changed course and opted to stay in his home state of Louisiana.
Nabers played in 11 games and started six as a true freshman in 2021. He caught 28 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns with half of that production coming in the final four weeks. At season’s end, Nabers was named Freshman all-SEC. The strong finish propelled him to a more significant role in 2022. He turned his 72 receptions into 1,017 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough to lead the SEC in receptions and finish second in receiving yards. Nabers once again led the SEC in receptions in 2023 with 89. That resulted in 1,569 receiving yards which ranked No. 2 in the nation and 14 touchdowns. He was just the second wide receiver in LSU history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons (Josh Reed, 2000-2001), per the school’s website. Nabers was a (unanimous) first-team All-American, first-team all-SEC, and a Biletnikoff Award finalist (won by Marvin Harrison Jr.).
Nabers exits LSU as the program’s all-time leader in receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003). His 21 career touchdowns rank No. 7 (LSU Website)
College Stats
Malik Nabers College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Route Running
+Body Control
+Alignment versatility
+Start/stop ability
+Explosive
+Acceleration
+YAC
+Can win on all three levels
+Plays physical
+Ball Tracking
+6.8 receptions per game
+3.86 yards per team pass attempt
+32% touchdown share
+33.3% Dominator Rating
+72 receptions & over 1,000 yards as a sophomore
+Age 19 Breakout
+Early Declare
Negatives
-Inconsistent vs press coverage
-Release packages could be improved
-Inconsistent in traffic
-Ran a somewhat limited route tree at LSU
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Possession WR
NFL Comp: Chris Godwin
Draft Projection: Top-10
Bottom Line:
Malik Nabers is among the best wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft. He can pretty much do it all. He has decent size at 6-0, 200 lbs. Nabers can run effective routes from the X, Z, and slot positions. His speed allows him to create separation down the field on posts, go’s, and slot fades, but he can also dial it back to win in the short and intermediate areas of the field as well. Then, once he has the ball in his hands he pairs that speed with elite quickness, acceleration, explosion, and strength to make it very difficult for defenders to track him down. He almost always gains additional yardage after the catch.
Nabers is good at just about every part of playing wide receiver. The only areas that could use some work are his release packages off the line of scrimmage, particularly against press coverage, and becoming more consistent in traffic and in contested situations. There are some route concepts we haven’t seen much from him, but there’s little reason to believe he won’t be able to develop his route tree further at the NFL level. Otherwise, he is a complete prospect. He checks the size boxes, he checks the analytics boxes, and he gets the full approval from film scouts as well.
While he played a ton from the slot at LSU and will certainly get his fair share of snaps on the inside in the NFL as well, Nabers projects as a starting Z-receiver at the next level. But again, he has the versatility and skill set to play from any alignment. NFL teams will love that. They will also appreciate his ability to make explosive plays from anywhere on the field, something that is coveted in today’s game. In many other draft classes we would have Nabers locked-in as the WR1, instead he is looking like the second wide receiver off the board behind Marvin Harrison Jr. It will not be a surprise to see both guys drafted inside the top-10, though. In dynasty, Nabers is a locked-in top-3 selection in rookie drafts and will be a guy you can count on for consistent production for many years to come.
NEXT: Troy Franklin 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
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