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Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2024 class. I'm a college football coach with nine years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players in this draft class, with detailed insight into future NFL standouts' strengths, weaknesses, and projections.
Scouting NFL Draft prospects is about projecting translatable traits. There is often overlap between translatable traits and college performance, but there's a reason many top college players are not considered legitimate professionals. For example, a wide receiver being able to get in and out of breaks efficiently will not change from college to pro. Conversely, an edge-rusher who got most of his sacks due to hustle or missed offensive line assignments may not have shown translatable traits on film.
The film clips in this series show each pro prospect's positive and negative traits. Reading this article will give you a more in-depth look into each player with actual in-game visual evidence. We will continue our Coach Knows Ball series with LSU WR Malik Nabers.
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Malik Nabers Rookie Profile
Malik Nabers is a 20-year-old wide receiver prospect with an incredible production profile in the SEC. Nabers was the WR1 for Jayden Daniels in 2023, and put up 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns with 17.6 yards per catch. In 2022, he had a solid sophomore season, catching 72 passes for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns. Nabers is blazing fast and dominated SEC defenders this past season. Let's dive into the film.
Scary Speed
Nabers didn't run a 40 at the Combine, but his timed speed really doesn't matter. The film shows uncommon play speed. Nabers can win down the field on deep routes and outrun defenders after the catch as well. There has never been a prospect with as much SEC production and eye-popping game speed as Nabers.
In the clip below, Nabers runs a post from the slot. He gains seven yards of separation, blowing the top off the defense. He's simply moving at a completely different speed than the Alabama defenders.
In the clip below, you can see that spectacular game speed in yards after the catch. Nabers will destroy angles after the catch at the NFL level. When you pair his speed with his fearlessness as a runner, you get a guy you'll want to scheme a lot of touches for.
In the clip below, the natural game speed shows up at the end of the route getting to the catch point. Nabers is running a stutter-go, and the DB does a decent job not falling for the double move. He's in position but makes a costly mistake of slowing down a step when Nabers slows down. The acceleration and speed to run away from that point when Nabers realizes the ball is in the air is special. It's one thing to be fast, it's another to be this fast and be able to turn it on and off and finish at the catch point.
Nabers produced at an incredible level in the SEC, so his ability to solve problems and win routes shows plenty of translatable traits. He's solid at executing all types of breakpoints, including speed cuts and hard breaks working back to the ball on curls, comebacks, and hitches. At his best, Nabers sells vertical really well. When he sells vertical with his speed, defenders have no choice but to respect him blowing past them.
In the clip below, Nabers is running a slot fade against a catch man defender. This play shows translatable route running and ball skills, but also why he's adept at press releases. While this is a mid-route or secondary release, Nabers executes split releases just like this on film. He closes the space and does an excellent job dipping that near shoulder (blade), ripping that back elbow back and exploding vertical to separate.
In the clip above, Nabers also shows late hands in how he runs to the spot and stabs late for the ball, not slowing down at all.
Nabers is not the most conventionally technical or polished receiver, but he has instinctive quickness and manipulation tactics that work for him.
YAC Dawg
Nabers amassed a lot of yards after the catch at LSU, in many cases due to his sheer speed. Some have labeled him as a total YAC monster, but I question how elusive he'll be at the next level in terms of breaking tackles. Running after the catch is one of the hardest skills to translate to the next level because defenders are so much faster and bigger.
CeeDee Lamb was absolutely electric after the catch at Oklahoma, but that is just a small part of his game in the NFL. Quentin Johnston was praised for YAC during last year's draft cycle, but that has not translated much for him yet.
Nabers' ability after the catch tells me two things, and neither make me think he'll be a special tackle-breaker at the NFL level. One, his speed is devastating in terms of defenders getting angles on him. Two, he is an aggressive, competitive player with so much fight in him. That trait will translate in all areas, not just after the catch.
In the clip below, Nabers runs a fall-out, beautifully selling vertical on his stem and then gaining separation on the hard breakpoint. It's not the cleanest footwork at the top, but the defender is so petrified of his speed that it works just fine. He then explodes inside, running away from the defender with his blazing speed. He also ruins the next defender's angle, resulting in a feeble diving attempt that doesn't come close.
The clip below shows another Division 1 defender simply have no concept of how to size up Nabers' speed. The linebacker has a free shot and doesn't come close because Nabers is so quick. He makes six Army defenders look like they don't belong on the same field as him, running literal circles around them.
The clip below is a textbook example of unrepeatable plays that likely won't be a one-to-one translation at the next level. Nabers catches a curl and spins inside away from the leverage of the defender. Clearly stronger, he drags the corner on his back and disposes of him, then works a stiff arm on the next guy.
In the end, he's pushed out and most importantly, never actually falls to the ground. This type of fight is a trait that translates, even though he likely won't be Yoda-ing NFL DBs. Nabers has that dawg in him.
Top of Route and Catch Point Details
Nabers has the production, competitiveness, and speed of an alpha NFL receiver. However, there are some footwork improvements he could make in his game. Nabers sometimes plays a bit high, coming out of a high stance and running on his toes. This will sometimes impact the top of certain routes, where he has to take more than three steps to break.
In the clip below, Nabers is running a fall-out or hinge route. He does an alright job of selling vertical and starts to spray his stem to sell the fade route. He's plenty quick out of the break, but he could be quicker. Notice how many pitter-patter steps he takes underneath himself at the top of the route. He slips coming out of the break because his feet are too close together.
In the clip below, you can see that lack of balance out the breakpoint become an issue at the catch point. Nabers is unable to run out of his break back toward the ball, and has his feet close together facing the passer. Because of this, he's unable to move close enough to the ball and fails to make a scooping catch.
Nabers made all types of catches this season and obviously has fine ball skills and hands. However, I would not classify his ball skills as elite. He's sometimes content to let the ball into his body rather than extend and attack it.
The clips below are examples of tough catches for right-handed receiver. The "left-hand-over" catch feels much less natural than the other way, and Nabers has a chance to make it here. He can't position his hands well enough on a slightly inaccurate ball and drops it.
In the clip below, Nabers tries to scoop using his pinkies together. He doesn't extend far enough and lets the ball get into his knees, which may be the cause of the drop.
Nabers had 89 catches in the SEC. He can catch the ball just fine. However, it's only fair to be critical given how awesome this receiver class is. Nabers does not have the otherworldly ball skills some others possess.
NFL Outlook
Malik Nabers is an exciting receiver prospect with alpha potential. His game speed is a nightmare for defensive players and he has shown translatable traits in terms of route running and releases as well. While his tackle breaking might not translate seamlessly, there's no doubt he has the fight, competitiveness, and speed to be a threat after the catch. Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Rome Odunze all have a legitimate claim to be the WR1 in this class.
If you want to read and watch some of my past film breakdowns, click the links below.
- Marvin Harrison Jr. - WR, Ohio State
- Rome Odunze - WR, Washington
- Brock Bowers - TE, Georgia
- Caleb Williams - QB, USC
- Drake Maye - QB, North Carolina
- Jayden Daniels - QB, LSU
- C.J. Stroud - QB, Ohio State
- Anthony Richardson - QB, Florida
- Bijan Robinson - RB, Texas
- Jahmyr Gibbs - RB, Alabama
- Breece Hall - RB, Iowa State (2022)
- Garrett Wilson - WR, Ohio State (2022)
- Ja'Marr Chase - WR, LSU (2021)
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more draft content in the coming days.
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