In Peter Schrager’s first mock draft over at NFL.com, he has the Colts making a very aggressive move up the draft board in order to land LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Of note, at the beginning of the mock draft, Schrager clarifies that the picks made are not what he would do but are based on what he’s hearing from his sources around the NFL.
In this trade, the Colts went from pick 15 to pick nine, sending the Chicago Bears a future second-round pick to move up the six spots. Here is what Schrager had to say about the Colts’ bold play:
“Indianapolis sends Chicago a future second-round pick in order to move up six slots and pounce on Nabers, the star wideout out of LSU. In an AFC South that saw the Jaguars, Texans and Titans all aggressively attack free agency, Colts GM Chris Ballard shows he has some tricks up his sleeve, too.”
As we all know, adding playmaking to the Colts’ offense is a priority for them, and in this jump up the draft board, they land one of the best receivers in this year’s class.
After eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in 2022, Nabers put together a monster season in 2023, totaling 1,568 yards at almost 18.0 yards per catch with 14 touchdowns while catching 70 percent of his 128 targets.
Out of all receivers last season, Nabers would rank second in receiving yards, he tied for third in touchdowns, was ninth in total YAC, and third in yards per route run–an efficiency metric from PFF.
Nabers has the ability to impact the game in a number of ways, able to win in all parts of the field while being able to win and create separation in a variety of ways.
With Michael Pittman and Josh Downs already on the roster, the Colts have a solid foundation at the receiver position, but with both players averaging under 12.0 yards per catch in 2023, more juice is needed.
With a player of Nabers’ caliber, not only will he bring more playmaking to the table, but his presence and the attention he draws will help create opportunities for others in the passing game as well.
On Daniel Jeremiah’s big board, Nabers is the third-ranked receiver, behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze, and the fourth-ranked prospect overall.
