5 teams that should be salivating to draft Malik Nabers after ridiculous pro day

It may be difficult to believe, but the NFL Draft is less than a month away. While teams are doing their best to keep their intentions hidden, it's no secret who many of the top prospects are. As per usual, quarterbacks are stealing most of the headlines, with four (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and JJ McCarthy) currently projected by most draft experts to go within the top 10 picks.

Top-tier offensive talent exists in this draft well beyond the quarterback position, though, and most people expect at least eight of the first 10 picks to be offensive players. In addition to the signal-callers, Brock Bowers of Georgia is one of the highest-rated tight end prospects to ever come along, Notre Dame's Joe Alt is viewed as a cornerstone left tackle, and the wide receiver class is teeming with potential All-Pros.

The presumptive first receiver off the board is Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State. The former Buckeye has the size, speed, and pedigree to be an elite playmaker, and he has been linked to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 for months now. Two other receivers are expected to go in the top 10: Rome Odunze of Washington and Malik Nabers of LSU. Nabers, who has been expected to go between picks five and nine, could see his draft stock soar even higher after a dazzling pro day on Wednesday that saw him run a 4.35 40-yard dash and reach 42 inches on his vertical jump.

Malik Nabers deserves consideration to be the No. 1 receiver off the board

There's been a bit of a rivalry developing between Harrison and Nabers. Both receivers, along with Odunze, were named First Team All-Americans by the Associated Press, but Harrison won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver. Harrison also beat out Nabers to finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, despite Nabers posting a superior statistical season with 25 more receptions and over 350 more receiving yards.

The Cardinals absolutely need to think about which receiver they'd like to pair with Kyler Murray, but let's assume for a minute that they do what everyone has expected them to do for months and select Harrison. Nabers will be a hot commodity, but which teams should do everything in their power to land him? Today we'll look at five that should spare no expense to grab him.

5. Chicago Bears

The Bears appear to be locked in on drafting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. The USC quarterback is walking into a phenomenal situation, as DJ Moore and the recently acquired Keenan Allen are set to form one of the most dynamic wide receiver duos in the league. Imagine adding Nabers to that arsenal.

The Bears' insistence on being known as a defensive team throughout their 100+ history is, in a perverse way, almost admirable. No other franchise has shunned offensive innovation to the degree that the Monsters of the Midway have, but general manager Ryan Poles seems intent on ushering in a new era in the Windy City.

Bears fans are ecstatic about the embarrassment of riches that the 2024 team will have on the offensive side of the ball. In addition to Williams, Moore, and Allen, Chicago also signed D'Andre Swift to lead the backfield, and tight end Cole Kmet is already in place after signing an extension last offseason.

Matt Eberflus' defense finally took shape after the midseason acquisition of Montez Sweat from the Commanders. Star cornerback Jaylon Johnson was re-signed last month, and the rest of the defense is loaded with young, improving playmakers. The final missing piece is an edge rusher to complement Sweat, and many have speculated that the Bears could be interested in Alabama's Dallas Turner or Florida State's Jared Verse with the ninth overall pick.

The Bears have spent their entire history prioritizing the defensive side of the ball, and while it would certainly make sense to do so again after drafting Williams at 1, maybe it's time to go all-in on offense for the first time ever.

After his pro day, there's no way that Nabers will still be there when the Bears pick at nine, and with only two other picks the rest of the draft, it will be difficult to move up the three or four spots required to snag him. Still, a Bears fan can dream, can't he?

4. New England Patriots

New England has been in quarterback hell since Tom Brady left. Mac Jones didn't work out, and he was recently traded to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. Bailey Zappe is still in town, and Jacoby Brissett was brought in as a veteran stopgap. It seems extremely likely that New England will be going quarterback at three, but is that the wise move?

Jones was scapegoated as the reason New England's offense has been so bad the past two years, but he's hardly alone in deserving the blame. Bill Belichick failed to give Jones a proper offensive coordinator, bizarrely allowing former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to call the plays for a season before bringing in Bill O'Brien last year. Belichick also dropped the ball when it came to fielding a competent receiving corps, as New England has had arguably the worst set of pass-catchers in the league the past few years.

The Patriots pursued Calvin Ridley in free agency, but the former Falcon opted instead to sign with the Titans. They settled instead for KJ Osborn, who most recently was the third banana in Minnesota behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Osborn joins Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas, but that's still not a trio that will scare the defensive backs of the AFC East.

Instead of drafting Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, or JJ McCarthy with the third pick, what if New England traded down a couple of spots, took Nabers, and then chose a quarterback later? There are several options that won't be gone in the first 10 picks, such as Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., and Spencer Rattler. The Patriots could also ride with Brissett and Zappe for a year, then look to draft a passer near the top of the draft next year.

If new head coach Jerod Mayo and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt fall in love with one of the QBs available at three, that's the way the Patriots need to go. If nobody wows them, though, why settle for leftovers? Nabers could be a game-changer, and he could lift the Patriots' offensive floor single-handedly, regardless of who is throwing to him.

3. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have been making moves this offseason. Arthur Smith is out as head coach, replaced by former interim coach Raheem Morris. Kirk Cousins You Like That'ed his way out of Minnesota to take over for Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, while Darnell Mooney and Ron'Dale Moore were brought in to bolster a receiving corps that consisted of Drake London and not much else.

The signing of Mooney and the trade for Moore seem to indicate that the Falcons are set at receiver, but they would be foolish not to consider someone as talented as Nabers. Mooney is a bounceback candidate after two consecutive disappointing seasons in Chicago, but his ceiling doesn't extend beyond being a high-end No. 3 or an average WR2. Moore has never reached 500 yards receiving in a season.

Cousins has experience throwing to an uber-talented LSU Tiger, as it was in partnership with him that Justin Jefferson became the best receiver in the league. The Falcons didn't spend $180 million on Cousins just to have an average offense; they need to surround him with as many weapons as possible to get the best return out of their investment. Drafting Nabers would accomplish that and then some.

2. New York Giants

Ever since Odell Beckham Jr. left town, the Giants' receiver room has been a dumpster fire. Darius Slayton has led the team in receiving yards four of the past five years, yet he's never topped 50 catches or 470 yards during that time. Kenny Golladay has been a tremendous bust since New York lured him away from Detroit, and none of a plethora of young receivers have distinguished themselves.

Assuming the top three teams all select quarterbacks, the Giants will be guaranteed one of Harrison, Nabers, or Odunze, and general manager Joe Schoen needs to jump at the chance. There's been talk that the Giants could be looking at drafting a quarterback themselves, but after signing Daniel Jones last offseason to a four-year, $160 million extension that looked bad before the ink dried, it doesn't make sense to draft his replacement while his exorbitant salary is still on the books. After all, isn't part of the appeal of drafting a quarterback that you can improve the rest of your roster with the money saved? That wouldn't be the case for the Giants.

Jones had the best season of his career two years ago, which is why he got that contract extension in the first place. The Giants need to hope that he can come back healthy and reach that same level of play after tearing his ACL last year. Having a real weapon like Nabers to throw to will only make that more likely.

Giants fans loved Victor Cruz when he was salsa dancing his way into the end zone, and they loved Beckham when he was pulling in highlight-reel catches. They'll love what Nabers can do, too.

1. Los Angeles Chargers

Jim Harbaugh may be living in a van down by the river, but he's no fool. After losing nearly every offensive playmaker not named Justin Herbert this offseason (mostly for cap reasons), there's a yawning void at wide receiver, and with the fifth pick in the draft, the Chargers are in the perfect position to fill it.

As we've mentioned previously, the first four picks in the draft are likely to be three quarterbacks and Harrison, meaning L.A. is the most likely destination for Nabers unless GM Joe Hortiz receives an offer he can't refuse. Herbert no longer has Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, or Gerald Everett to throw to, and he and Nabers could make beautiful music for the next decade.

It would be an unforgivable waste of Herbert's talent to give the third-year QB nothing but Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer to work with. The excitement Chargers fans (they really do exist!) felt after Harbaugh's hire would quickly dissipate if his offense consisted of 20 Gus Edwards runs and an endless string of Herbert checkdowns each game. Besides, does anybody think Harbaugh left his alma mater after winning a national championship so that he could preside over a talent-stricken team? He wants, and needs, a real playmaker.

Rarely do we see a perfect fit between a player and a team that is in position to draft him, but this is a rare exception. This should be an easy decision for the Chargers.