The wait to see who the first wide receiver off the NFL Draft board will be is less than a month from being over.
And LSU’s Malik Nabers is eager to show to pro scouts and evaluators why he should be taken first. Nabers said he woke up at 5 a.m. Wednesday for Pro Day, and his preparation was the reason for his angst.
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“I tried to go to sleep earlier but I kept thinking about the 40,” Nabers said. “I’d never ran it since high school. I started working on it three weeks ago. I had a little nudge going on. Just having that mind. I stated I never really knew my time was. I was just going out there and trying to be the best dog I can get.”
Nabers went out on the Tigers practice field and electrified the crowd on hand in Baton Rouge with a 4.35-second time on the 40-yard dash. For comparison, that would’ve been the No. 8 fastest at the NFL combine behind the record-breaking 4.21 clock set by Texas’ Xavier Worthy.
Nabers didn’t work out at the combine in Indianapolis. He opted to showcase his skills alongside Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels who also chose not to participate on the field at the combine.
Nabers leapt 42 inches on the vertical jump and repped 15 sets on the bench press at Pro Day. He also measured in at 6-foot 1/4 inches weighing 199 pounds.
“Not doing anything at the combine didn’t really stop anything. I’m Malik Nabers. I can only write the path for me,” Nabers said. “So just staying on my course, not getting too carried away with the media and what they say. Just being the guy that I am: a playmaker out there on the field. Whatever you want to see me do, I’m happy to do it and that’s really it.”
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According to NFL.com and Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings, Nabers is No. 4 among all players entered in April’s upcoming draft.
He’ll be in close competition with other receivers such as Biletnikoff Award-winning Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. or First Team All-American Rome Odunze from Washington.
But wherever Nabers is selected, he’s focused on being the best receiver he can be.
“If I get picked 19th it’s not going to change the dog mentality that I have,” Nabers said. “I’m sure those other guys also, those guys that’s on the wall in the receiver room, they had that same mentality, that same chip, so to follow right behind that — I’m always going to be receiver 1 in my eyes so I’m going to always go out there and try to prove that.”
