Former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers was selected No. 6 overall by the New York Giants in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.
Nabers was the second receiver off the board after Marvin Harrison Jr. went No. 4 overall to the Arizona Cardinals.
“He can do everything, he’s a Swiss army knife,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said before the draft. “You can play him in the slot, you can play him outside, he can beat you one-on-one, all of those things. But he is an ultra-competitive player.”
Nabers is the first LSU wide receiver to be taken in the first round since Ja’Marr Chase was taken No. 5 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Chase went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season in the NFL.
Nabers is LSU’s all-time leading receiver and is coming off a season where he finished second in the country in receiving yards with 1,569 yards. Fellow top receiver prospect Rome Odunze finished with 71 more yards in two more games. He finished tied for third best in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 14, the same amount as Biletnikoff winner Marvin Harrison Jr.
Nabers came to LSU in the class of 2021 as a four-star prospect and the No. 19 wide receiver in his class. He finished his freshman season with 28 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns. He flashed his potential in a 27-14 win over ULM. He had four receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown in that game. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team for his performances.
Nabers really came on in his sophomore season for LSU. He led the Tigers in receiving yards with 1,017 and receptions with 72. He also had three receiving touchdowns. He put on a show in LSU’s bowl win over Purdue with a 163-yard performance.
His junior season was his best season by far. He again led LSU in receiving yards and receptions and had big game after big game. Nabers had nine games with over 100 receiving yards, including a 239-yard game against Mississippi State. The only time he didn’t have at least 65 yards in a game came when he left LSU’s bowl game early after setting the all-time receiving yards record.
He was named first-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-SEC and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, an award given to the nation’s top wide receiver.
Nabers, the third youngest player in this year’s draft, elected not to participate in the NFL Combine, but he did go through drills at LSU’s Pro Day. He ran a 4.35 40-yard dash that would’ve made him the fourth fastest receiver at the combine had he ran there. He also posted a 42-inch vertical which would’ve tied for the third-best score at the combine.
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