Malik Nabers scouting report: Exploring the LSU WR's strengths and weaknesses

Malik Nabers, LSU

6’0”, 200 pounds; JR

A four-star recruit in 2021, Nabers already caught 28 passes for over 400 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman, before going for over 1,000 yards but only three TDs on 72 grabs in 2022. This past season, he finished behind only Washington’s Rome Odunze – who played nearly two extra games, thanks to going to the Natty and Nabers only playing the first quarter of LSU’s bowl game.

He set the school record with 1,569 yards on 89 receptions, scoring on 14 of those. That earned him first-team All-American accolades, although he just finished second in voting for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.

Releases & route-running:

+ Elite mover for any position, combining his flexibility with the abruptness he can also access

+ Has the instant acceleration to threaten DBs along with the extra gear to win down the field

+ That ability to slow-play the release vs. soft press and then hit the gas, to get even with the hip of corners in that five-yard window is eye-popping

+ We’ve seen him blow right by flat-footed safeties or rotations into different versions of (invert) cover-two for long TDs on streak and skinny post routes against some of the premiere defenses in college football these last couple of years (Georgia in the 2022 SEC Championship, Alabama in ’23)

(Blew right by Georgia’s All-SEC corner Kelee Ringo and safety Malachi Starks in cover-two for a touchdown in the second half of the ’22 SEC Championship; And then got past those two in quarters with a skinny post route for an explosive play on the very next drive)

+ Can constantly release cleanly inside of straight press attempts and then the dynamism with which he plants and breaks across the field is truly special

+ The way he can threaten with the take-off and then snap off curl routes made him highly effective on those, yet he can also flip his hips around on speed outs without losing time at the top

+ Understands really well how to sell the initial break on double-moves by decelerating and raising up, before accessing that extra gear to run by guys

+ Recognizes when a safety steps down and tries to cut him off working across the field, adjusting his angle/depth to work towards open grass and make himself available for the quarterback

Ball-tracking, positioning & catching:

+ Shows no issues at all extending for the ball with defenders surrounding him and swiping at it as soon as he touches

+ Truly gifted with special body coordination, particularly as he approaches the white line due to the flight of the ball or works the back-line of the end zone

+ How quickly Naber can elevate and then again get a foot down on the ground really stands out, where it doesn’t look like going for a rebound in basketball or having to hang in the air

+ Can finish some challenging grabs, where he has to dive back for the ball and pin it against his chest in order for the ground to not dislodge it

+ Posted a massive 61.9% contested catch rate in 2022 (13-of-21), thanks to the way he positions himself, the vertical hops, and how much better he is at timing up his high points; before another solid rate last year (45.5%), which actually increased with the deeper he was targeted

+ Delivered on third downs, catching 15 of 26 targets which moved the chains (2022?)

+ Exactly half of his 86 catches in 2023 went for 15+ yards (93.5 PFF receiving grade), which is insane

Run after catch & blocking:

+ Reminiscent of D.J. Moore in terms of frame and YAC skills, where he shows zero delays in becoming a runner as he hauls in crossing routes

+ How quickly he re-accelerates after securing the ball on a curl route or has to stop for the catch is pretty special

+ Turns routine plays into explosives, such as catching a hitch between a couple of hook defenders, spinning away from one guy, and then nearly splitting the deep safeties in two-high looks, which makes your jaw drop to the floor

+ Yet he can also change up gears on sweeps or screen plays to delay a little bit before he kicks into top gear

+ Forced 51 missed tackles and gained 120 first downs (along with 17 touchdowns) on 161 catches in over the past two seasons combined

+ Had passer ratings when targeted of 144.4 and 121.9 respectively on passes behind the line of scrimmage these last two years, speaking to his skills to create on simple screen passes

+ Finds a good balance to urgently eat up space towards slot defenders yet being able to square them up and force them to take wider angles around him in the run game

Weaknesses:

– Ran basically all hitches, slants and go routes as a sophomore, without a whole lot of nuance and is still in need of developing a release package that doesn’t largely revolve around speed – which is why he operated out of the slot on 53.6% of snaps in 2023

– Every once in a while will have a focus drop, where he takes his eyes off the ball prematurely because he’s already in running mode

– Seems to slip at a weirdly high rate, where he doesn’t keep his feet underneath himself and drop his hips at the break-point all the time

– Muffed two punts in the 2022 season-opener against Florida State and never got any more chances, despite his dynamic open-field skills

It’s rare to find a receiving profile where someone has 19 receptions of 20+ yards but also forced 30 missed tackles in his final collegiate season, showcasing the ability to be a menace running away from the defense before or after the catch. It’s even more uncommon that a guy like that isn’t the number one prospect at his position.

He’s not as tall or strong as Marvin Harrison Jr., he’s been more effective on the inside and he’ll drop a pass every once in a while because he’s trying to create an explosive play with it. All things considered, he may be the most dynamic mover I’ve ever scouted at the position.

He quickly gets up to and back down from full gear, the flexibility to not lose speed as he slightly alters his routes, how he’s able to extend his catch radius without needing a whole lot of space to load up his jumps, and then the diverse skills after the catch. I’d personally take him over any non-quarterback in this draft outside of MHJ.

Grade: Top-five