NFL Coach: Malik Nabers Is Tyreek Hill Combined with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk

The WR1 spot in the 2024 NFL draft is hotly up for debate but not for one NFL coach.

An offensive assistant coach spoke to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and threw a heaping pile of praise behind LSU's Malik Nabers.

"It's Nabers and then there's a gap," the coach said. "He is the best wide receiver in the draft in a couple of years, maybe more. He is Tyreek Hill combined with both of those San Francisco guys (Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk). He is so explosive. He has a second gear. He can stop on a dime. He breaks tackles. You can't jam him because he's just too quick and if you miss at all, he's gonna outrun you. He's really competitive but he can be a pain in the ass. He'll be the guy who'll have something to say to the coordinator coming off the field. He's got that edge to him where he doesn't know when to let up. He doesn't know that those guys are on his side."

It's borderline impossible to find much higher praise than this. Hill is the premier speedster wideout in the NFL, while Aiyuk brings toughness and elite route running and Samuel's one of the sport's most versatile playmakers.

If the coach's assessment winds up being correct, Nabers will be not only the best receiver in the NFL now but arguably the best in league history. Jerry Rice didn't have Hill's top-end speed. Randy Moss didn't have the strength of Samuel or Aiyuk. Calvin Johnson is perhaps the only wideout in league history to possess all of those physical traits and combine it with production.

Of course, production at the wideout spot is highly dependent on quarterback situations. The Arizona Cardinals (Kyler Murray) and Los Angeles Chargers (Justin Herbert) have star quarterbacks in place who could help Nabers thrive. The New York Giants, who have also been linked to wideouts in this class, have one of the NFL's worst quarterback rooms.

When we look back on this draft class years down the line, situational drafting may play the biggest difference in which wideout turns out the best.

The B/R Scouting Department ranks Nabers as the third-best receiver and No. 8 overall prospect in the 2024 class.