The New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.
Nabers finished his career with one of the most productive seasons in college football history. The 6-foot, 199-pound standout led the nation with 120.7 yards a contest and was tops in the FBS with 34 plays of 20-plus yards and 17 going for 30-plus.
He finished 2023 second in receiving yards (1,569) and third in touchdown receptions while leading the SEC in nearly every receiving statistic.
NFL Draft 2024 tracker: Live blog, pick-by-pick grades and analysis
Big board best available: Who’s left from Dane Brugler’s Top 300?
Draft pick grades: Nick Baumgardner, Scott Dochterman rate the selections
Full draft order: Team picks for all 257 selections
“The Athletic Football Show”: Watch live reaction to the draft
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Nabers ranked No. 3 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“An explosive play creator (led the FBS with 34 catches of 20-plus yards in 2023), Nabers uses his gliding speed to consistently win on slot fades or one-on-one vertical routes. His favorite play in the playbook is the jet sweep (his 7-on-7 highlights from high school are legendary). He also can win underneath as a snatch-and-run target and will continue to ascend as he develops his finishing skills and route discipline. Overall, Nabers has only average size/strength, but he offers dynamic potential because of his ability to accelerate/decelerate on command and always make himself available with his athletic catch-point skills. He projects as a playmaking receiver in the NFL.”
Coaching intel
What an anonymous coach had to say about Nabers in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“He can separate like nobody else. He has super speed and explosiveness. He’s got this big lower half and is so scary in the open field. He is elite with the ball in his hands.”
Why he’s a first-round pick
Nabers, boosted by a 2023 season that saw him catch 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns, finished his college career as LSU’s career leader in both receptions (189) and yards (3,003). That says a lot considering that the Tigers in recent years have produced several of the NFL’s elite receivers including Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals standout Ja’Marr Chase.
Nabers was a consensus All-American and is one of only two players in LSU history to log over 3,000 career receiving yards.
Malik Nabers, through one quarter (and 49 seconds) vs. Mississippi State:
◽️ 7 REC
◽️ 113 YDS
◽️ 2 TD🎥 @LSUfootballpic.twitter.com/U0Zu3rEX4E
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 16, 2023
Come back shortly for more analysis of the Malik Nabers pick.
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
