Malik Nabers: The YAC GAWD 2.0

During the 2019 NFL Draft, there was a prospect I had a top-5 pick grade on and nicknamed him the YAC GAWD (yards after catch). His name was Deebo Samuel (receiver San Francisco 49ers).

Safe to say I was right.

What if I told you there is a faster, more explosive, and better route-running Deebo Samuel in the 2024 NFL Draft?

His name is Malik Nabers aka The YAC Gawd 2.0.

Although this LSU star wide receiver (WR) was banned in his senior year of high school due to transfer rules, he was still a 4-star, 150th overall recruit, and was highly regarded.

And boy did he live up to the hype.

Nabers came on the scene last year but has exploded this season.

Let’s dig into the film.

Nabers is a superpower slot receiver

The first thing that pops off the screen about Nabers is greatness after the catch. In the modern NFL, YAC is becoming more important with quick throws outside and over the middle.

Nabers is a touchdown threat on all of them.

He refuses to go down after the catch showing impressive strength, vision, and elusiveness in the openfield.

Nabers’ first step explosiveness after the snap and speed leave slot and inside defenders in the dust as often Nabers is attacking a mismatch, which in the NFL is ultimately important to win. Even if the defender does stay hip to hip with Nabers, his natural great body control and hands attacking the football with contact is superb.

This LSU receiver is also a good route runner who can play on the outside, but he is extremely special in the slot.

Nabers’ quick feet and good feel for the game allow him to get open with ease. Whether it’s finding soft spots in zone coverage (defenders guard a certain area), or beating man coverage (a defender is locked up with him), Nabers in the slot is simply not guardable. Nabers is also the master of the slot fade route.

Where Nabers needs work

Although Nabers is a great prospect, there are areas of his game that need improvement to maximize his ceiling. Nabers is still growing as a route runner when he’s lined up outside. There are times Nabers is seen rounding off his routes or he gets knocked off his routes due to having trouble getting off the line. Nabers’ long speed is also a question mark. Against outside corners, he struggles to gain separation downfield consistently causing more contested catches than it should for my liking. With his aggressive YAC running style may come injuries that could cause him to miss a few games a year like Samuel, but the trade-off is worth it in my opinion.

Scouting Report

Game Film Evidence (2023)

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

Alabama

FSU

Arkansas

Missouri

Ole Miss

If drafted to a creative offensive coordinator in the NFL, I expect Nabers to have many advantages inside and be a superpower slot WR like Cooper Kupp (Rams) and Ceedee Lamb (Cowboys).

Explosive well-built WR with the heart of a tiger in the open field. Nabers is a yards-after-catch machine and a very good route runner in the slot using his great quickness and separation skills. Must improve outside technique route running and releases, and with time and work I believe he will do so. He will see many accolades in the NFL.

Tatum Round Grade: First-Round (Top-5)

Looking forward to:

Nabers’ performance in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 1) and his off-season performance testing leading up to the draft.

Rashad Tatum has been a deep-rooted fan of football since his grandpa introduced him to the game at the age of five years old. He’s from Houston, Texas. He uses YouTube and All22 film to break down prospects to give his direct analysis of players. Rashad has a trained eye developed by his former high school coach Steve Strahan who was in the NFL and played at Baylor University. He currently covers the top-rated prospects in the NFL Draft for Firstroundmock.com. When writing about football he lives by the motto “Lover of football, fan of no team.”