Malik Nabers: WR2 In 2024 NFL Draft?
I don’t think it’s a secret that the 2024 NFL Draft class is absolutely loaded at a handful of positions. One of the more loaded positions, for me, is wide receiver. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is the runaway WR1 in the class, leaving the number two slot open to interpretation. The two names you really only hear are his running mate Emeka Egbuka and Washington’s Rome Odunze, with Texas’s Xavier Worthy being another notable name. I believe there is a name being slept on, and that is LSU’s Malik Nabers. Let’s talk about it.
First is the production. Nabers led the SEC in receptions with 72, second in the conference in yards with 1,017 yards, but just three touchdowns. However, in LSU’s four biggest games last year (Tennessee, Georgia in the SEC Championship, Alabama and their bowl game against Purdue) he went for 26 catches for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Nabers has a great connection with Quarterback Jayden Daniels and they should only get stronger going into the 2023 season.
Malik Nabers is as well-rounded as you can find at the wide receiver spot. His two biggest strengths are his explosiveness and his physicality. When he gets the ball in the open field, it’s game over. Good luck ever getting your hands on him.
He has such a shiftiness to him and great release off the line that it makes it tough for his defender to keep up. He has a very solid route tree with strong hands, which help him catch almost everything thrown his way, but also can throw a block or two when need be. Nabers also has top-end speed for go routes and stretching the field. His ability to highpoint the ball is such a key part of his game.
Trey has Malik Nabers as his WR9 in his way-too-early rankings, and I believe that is a mistake. If the off the field issues never rear its head again and he takes another step in his development, we are looking at one of the best wide receivers in the class. LSU could be a National Championship contender in 2023, and I believe that Nabers will be a big part of that. Don’t be shocked come draft season that he is among the top of the class. Just remember, you heard it here first.
