Giants draft Malik Nabers: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel (2024)

By Amos Morale III and Charlotte Carroll

Apr 26, 2024

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 per contest and was tops in the FBS with 34 plays of 20-plus yards and 17 going for 30-plus yards.

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‘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 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.”

Most receptions of 20+ yards over the last 5 years in CFB:
34 – Malik Nabers (2023), Ja'Marr Chase (2019)
33 – Jordan Addison (2021)
32
31
30 – DeVonta Smith (2020)
29
28
27
26 – Rome Odunze (2023), CeeDee Lamb (2019) pic.twitter.com/oGF9RR8ohY
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 1, 2023

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.”

And here’s what a wide receivers coach told Feldman recently:

“(Marvin Harrison Jr.’s) not No. 1 to me. Nabers is the No. 1 on my list, and I think he is on many people’s lists. He’s just different to me. I don’t think it’s anything toward Marvin; it’s just really that Nabers is that good. His skills with the ball in his hands are really different. His acceleration is just different. His explosive is different. He tracks the ball really well. He’s a smaller guy, but he can still play outside. He’s rare in a lot of ways. He’s got someJa’Marr Chasein him, someDJ Mooreskills. I hesitate to say this becauseTyreek Hill’s speed is just so different from anybody in the league, but Nabers has some of that kind of burst and is just so explosive off the line of scrimmage.

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“He’s as fast as the person chasing him. He’s gonna run away from whoever. If Deion (Sanders) was chasing him, he’d go 4.21 or whatever. He’s the best WR prospect since Chase, and on tape, I think he’s even more impressive. This dude is different.”

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 receptions (189) and yards (3,003). That says a lot considering the Tigers have produced several of the NFL’s elite receivers in recent years, 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
🎥 @LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/U0Zu3rEX4E
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 16, 2023

Nick Baumgardner grades the pick

Nabers is an electric playmaker and arguably the most dangerous ball carrier in space in this class. An incredibly smooth and explosive athlete with great ball skills, Nabers was an instant contributor in the SEC for LSU and made 161 catches with Jayden Daniels the past two seasons as a complete receiver. Some scouts had Nabers ranked ahead of Harrison in this class. He’s that good.

The Giants have questions about Daniel Jones, to be sure. But to me, drafting a quarterback here made no sense. The Giants still have so much work to do — bringing a first-round QB in to “compete” with a guy you don’t support makes no sense. Nabers is an awesome talent and will instantly make one of the slowest offenses faster. A sensible, efficient and explosive draft pick. Also, possibly, a mess avoided.

Grade: A

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How he fits

The Giants finally have a true No. 1 wide receiver again. In Nabers, they’re getting an explosive playmaker with dynamic athleticism who can create separation. At LSU last season, 78.7 percent of Nabers’ catches resulted in a first down or touchdown. That kind of big-play ability has been missing from the Giants offense since the Odell Beckham Jr. days. Now Jones has a go-to guy.

RD 1 | PK 6 – Giants: Malik Nabers WR, LSU
With the sixth overall pick, the @Giants select the wide receiver with the highest overall score (92) and production score (96) in the 2024 class.#NFLDraft | #NYGiants pic.twitter.com/ld43g70L7t
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 26, 2024

Rookie impact

The expectations will be sky-high. Nabers will be asked to make an immediate impact among the Giants’ receivers and help breathe life into a stagnant offense. Giants coaches have preached “explosiveness” as they head into a pivotal Year 3, and that’s what they’ll be looking to get from Nabers. In their news conference following the selection, general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll praised the rookie’s competitiveness and “dog” mentality. He’s a clear fit based on his personality and just how much he wants to win. That’s a good sign in the New York market.

Depth chart impact

Nabers should quickly become Jones’ favorite target and take over that role from last season’s targets leader, Darius Slayton. The offense should be speedy and explosive as Nabers joins Slayton, Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson. Tight end Darren Waller, who is still mulling retirement, could add another offensive playmaker if he returns and remains healthy.

They also could have picked …

Giants fans learned just how much the front office liked Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The answer: Not enough to make him the pick at No. 6 and the new face of the franchise. The Giants also could have selected Rome Odunze, who offered a bigger-bodied option and is a prototype No. 1 WR himself. They elected to go with the explosiveness of Nabers. Hard to blame them.

Fast evaluation

When the Giants elected not to use the No. 6 pick on a QB, wide receiver was the easy choice. It came down to Nabers and Odunze, and if you were paying attention to offseason discussions of hopes for the offense this season, Nabers made the most sense because of his big-play ability. He should be a legitimate threat for Jones, and all eyes will be on just how much this offense can improve.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)