On Wednesday, March 27, Chicago Bears expert David Kaplan visited LSU’s Pro Day and left with some insightful notes.
“The Bears adore wide receiver Malik Nabers, I can assure you of that. Early findings were extremely encouraging, according to Kaplan’s YouTube channel.
During the previous season, Nabers caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games with the Tigers. His amazing athleticism on his Pro Day further elevated his selection profile.
The 6-foot, 200-pound wide receiver demonstrated lightning-fast speed by running a 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds. He also had a 10-foot-9 broad jump and a 42-inch vertical jump, so it’s unlikely that he’ll be available when the Bears select at No. 9.
Even still, there are many reasons to be excited about Nabers going to Chicago, especially in light of his relationship with quarterback Caleb Williams. You never know where the board will go on draft day.
QB Caleb Williams and Malik Nabers reportedly talk “all the time.”
It’s hard to ignore the possibility that Williams and Nabers could form a formidable tandem if they ever linked up in the Windy City, especially because the Bears will probably use their first round pick on Williams.
On March 1, Nabers said, “I talk to Caleb all the time,” to 670 The Score. We began playing Call of Duty together, and from there, the bond between football players developed—when you can bond with another player, it truly is like having a brother.”
Williams “always talks about that I’m a great receiver,” Nabers added, demonstrating the rookie wideout’s evident confidence in his own ability.
“I can move both inside and outside, so I can make space—whether it’s for a slot guy, an outside corner, or safety,” Nabers continued. I can therefore play a variety of positions. The fact that I can average 100 yards per game while facing up to eight defensive backs is, in my opinion, what truly sets me apart.
If WR Malik Nabers is still available at No. 9, the Bears will definitely draft him.
There are many wonderful things about Nabers’ game. He is very athletic and quick, but he also has a wide range of skills on the field. He finished fourth in the NCAA in deep yards gained (624 yards) and sixth in yardage gained from the slot (991 yards) among wide receivers with 50 or more targets in the previous campaign.
In addition, Nabers ranked fourth in terms of forced missed tackles (30) and second in the country for deep catches (19). He has amazing footwork and is going to be a beast as soon as he joins the NFL. He will therefore most likely be chosen before the Bears select at No. 9 once more.
Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report noted on March 31 that “it’s a loaded positional group at wideout with varying skillsets to fit varying roles, and Nabers could very well be the first pass-catcher taken in April after an eye-opening Pro Day workout to finalize his evaluation.”
As he stated on X in the aforementioned post, former Bears backup quarterback Chase Daniel understands the excitement.
Still, anything is possible with so many QB-starved clubs hoping to add a signal-caller in the top 10 this season. Chicago will strike quickly if, by some miracle, Nabers is still there when the team assembles at nine.
