NFL Analysis
4/25/24
5 min read
Malik Nabers NFL Draft 2024: Combine Results, Scouting Report For New York Giants WR
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Malik Nabers.
Malik Nabers' 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 6'0"
- Weight: 200 lbs
- 40-Time: DNP (Did Not Participate)
- 10-Yard Split: DNP
- Vertical: DNP
- Broad Jump: DNP
- 3-Cone: DNP
- Shuttle: DNP
Malik Nabers 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS:
- Extensive experience playing outside and the slot. Smooth, fluid route runner working out of both alignments.
- Short-area quickness and burst to separate at the top of his route stem. Saw that laterally and vertically.
- Showed route and separation quickness with a relatively refined and nuanced sense of route running.
- He defeated press coverage with a short-area burst and physicality. Aggressive attacking press.
- He has the good balance and body control to stop on a dime off his vertical stem and be in a position to make tough catches.
- Showed a second gear on vertical routes to create separation from corners. Added burst with the ball in the air.
- Aggressive with the ball in his hands. Strong run-after-catch traits with quickness and competitiveness.
- 2023 – Location versatile within the formation. Has shown he can line up in most wide receiver locations.
- Had feel for dipping his shoulder with body lean to gain leverage and clear defensive backs. Did not lose stride.
- Effective on slot fades, consistently getting on top of defensive backs. Short-area burst and accelerating speed.
- Tape showed more reliance on physicality and toughness at top of route stem rather than lateral quickness.
- Outstanding run-after-catch traits with a desirable combination of quickness burst and physical toughness.
WEAKNESSES:
- While there were flashes of subtle suddenness, he is not purely explosive. Would not describe him as twitchy.
- Inconsistent in his ability to separate and win vs. man coverage. Must improve as he develops.
- Had too many drops on routine catches. Didn’t sense hands were an issue, but that must be cleaned up.
- 2023 – Tape showed he relied almost exclusively on his physical ability to defeat press and run routes.
- Did not see him show refined and subtle technique to manipulate corners through and at the top of the route stem.
NFL TRANSITION:
Nabers is one of the best wide receiver prospects in the 2024 draft class. After evaluating his 2022 and 2023 tape, I would rank him as the second-best prospect behind Marvin Harrison Jr. Nabers has extensive experience playing outside and the slot. His location versatility is a significant plus as you project and transition him to the NFL.
Nabers possesses a complete receiver skill set with high-level physical traits and outstanding competitive toughness. There were times he made me think of Deebo Samuel with his run-after-catch presence, aggressiveness and physicality. He worked all three levels of the defense effectively. He has a subtle and nuanced feel for route running with body leans and feints resulting in needed separation and the short-area burst and acceleration to run by and get on top of corners, especially on slot fades.
He has a second gear on vertical routes to create separation with the ball in the air, and he showed the body control and hands to make tough catches on the sideline and in the middle of the field.
One trait that Nabers possesses that is often overlooked is his body control to stop on a dime and present flat and friendly to the quarterback, sending the corner running by him.
Nabers aggressively attacked press coverage, and he defeated it with a desirable combination of short-area quickness, burst and physicality.
Overall, I believe Nabers is a high-level wide receiver prospect who can step in from Day 1 and be a starter and productive contributor, especially with his versatility to line up anywhere in the formation.
OTHER NOTES:
Nabers came out of Louisiana as a four-star recruit, staying home to play for LSU. He was a First-Team All-American in 2022 and 2023, finishing his college career with an outstanding 2023 season: 89 catches, 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. Nabers left LSU as the school’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.
In 2022, Nabers caught 35 of his 72 receptions out of the slot. He predominantly lined up on the outside after the fourth game of the 2022 season, including significant snaps at boundary X on the back side of trips. Nabers ran by Georgia corner Kelee Ringo in the 2022 SEC Championship game off an inside release on a straight-go route. Nabers showed build-up speed, and Ringo could not make up the ground.
In 2023, more than 50 percent of Nabers' targets came out of the slot (72 out of 127). He had 54 catches for 1,009 yards and 12 TDs out of the slot, while he had 35 catches for 560 yards and two TDs outside.
Nabers ran 200 routes from outside and 227 from the slot, with much greater production inside. There were significant snaps in which Nabers lined up at boundary X on the back side of trips.
