Malik Nabers — NFL Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

This continues the Giants' quest from last offseason to add team speed. Nabers is the most explosive wideout in the draft.

I feel like the Titans' RD 1 pick comes down to a few different positions: WR, CB or OT. WR and OT are very important for an offense to function in the NFL. It's hard to evaluate Will Levis if he doesn't have anyone to throw to. It's also hard to evaluate him if his LT is a turnstile. The way the draft looks right now, the decision was made easier by having Notre Dame's Joe Alt off the board. I will say I am a bigger fan of Malik Nabers than I am of Alt. Tennessee needs to see if Levis is their long term answer and taking a WR is their path to doing so.

Nabers is an athletic freak, the type of playmaker desperately missing from Tennessee's offense. He's very talented at catching contested balls and being dangerous after the catch. He's the kind of WR who's a threat to take the ball to the house on any play. Levis needs a WR that can fight for the ball and make the opposing defense respect the pass. DeAndre Hopkins still has something left in the tank, as evidenced by the fact that he eclipsed 1000 yards this past season in an anemic passing offense. If Treylon Bruks can come back healthy, all of a sudden the Titans have an awesome receiving corps. Burks is still a deep threat, he just needs to stay on the field. With Nabers, the Titans won't have to worry about Burks' health as much.

Upgrading the offense has to be a priority this offseason. It does not seem that the team will be in a position to land a top rookie quarterback, so it is business as usual in the Big Apple. How can the Giants create positive change given the current limitations? Add a dynamic piece to the offense.

I think Nabers is every bit of an elite WR prospect as Harrison. Seriously. Once he learns the entire route tree, he'll be a star at the next level. Explosive athlete with plus hands.

The Chargers need to add weapons around Justin Herbert, and Malik Nabers is an elite receiver that should bolster the passing game.

The Cardinals miss out on Harrison, but the gap between Harrison and Nabers is very thin. Arizona needs to become more explosive on offense, especially through the air — 53 NFL players this season had at least 10 catches of 20-plus yards and none played for the Cardinals. Nobody in college football produced more catches of 20-plus yards than Nabers (34).

More electricity for the Chargers on the perimeter. We'll see who ends up spearheading the roster *cough* Jim Harbaugh, but plugging in Malik Nabers to an offense in need of immediate impact playmakers will only raise the performance ceiling of the unit. Back-to-back years of WRs on day one isn't ideal, but the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league, and lately, it hasn't been good enough from the players in uniform outside of Keenan Allen.

The New York Jets have some big roster issues going forward, but if Aaron Rodgers returns to full health, he'll have a feature wide receiver corps that includes Garrett Wilson and Malik Nabers. That should scare any opposing defense.

Nabers has a full route tree and is the epitome of a vertical threat. He'll stretch defenses out over the top as a lid-lifter for the Jets, freeing up favorable matchups for Wilson and the rest of the receivers underneath.

The G-Men will definitely be in the quarterback discussion leading up to the draft, but if they decide to give Daniel Jones another shot, they'll need to find him a true No. 1 receiver. Nabers' body control and route-running are top-notch, plus he's elite after the catch and a terror in the open field.

The New York Giants had a lot of success with a certain first-round receiver from LSU before, so why not do it again?

In most drafts, Nabers would be the first receiver off the board. But with Harrison in this class, Nabers "falls" to No. 6. He would give the Giants the bonafide No. 1 receiver they've desperately lacked since trading away Odell Beckham Jr.

With a new regime taking over soon, wide receiver is still in play even after the previous group took Quentin Johnston in the first round of last year's draft.

Nabers is a different tier of prospect, with explosive acceleration that can beat you before and after the catch. In any normal draft class, he's the top wide receiver.

Daniel Jones has proven he can be a ... well, not great quarterback and possibly not even a good one, but a serviceable starter under Brian Daboll. But that system falls apart without legitimate targets, something New York has dramatically lacked in recent years.

Enter Nabers, a powerful and explosive wideout who can create space at the line of scrimmage or battle through contact to make contested catches. The LSU star had more than 1,500 yards in 2023, including 565 over the final four games of the regular season — all against SEC defenses. He'd be the immediate WR1 in New York, pairing with whatever's left in Darren Waller's tank atop Jones' wish list.

The Chargers are definitely a team that could look to trade back and stock up on picks to fill roster holes with younger talent. But if they stick at No. 5, they should go with a wide receiver for the second consecutive year (Quentin Johnston in 2023). Nabers is an explosive target who would be an immediate upgrade for the team's offense. He's a natural tackle-breaker, finishing sixth in the FBS in forced missed tackles on catches (27). Nabers also led the FBS in receiving yards per game (120.7). He is a big play waiting to happen and the exact type of receiver Los Angeles needs, especially with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams getting older and struggling to stay on the field.

On the turf, indoors, opposite Michael Pittman and catching bombs from Anthony Richardson? Nabers is a burner and might be the second-best receiving prospect in the draft after Harrison.