Like a Good Nabers, State Farm is There?

Why LSU’s Malik Nabers could give Cardinals the best chance to win a Super Bowl

You talkin’ about playoffs?

Playoffs?

The only way to play in a Super Bowl is to make the playoffs.

So, yeah, I’m talkin’ bout playoffs.

Context:

For quite some time now here at ROTB and on Red Rain Podcast, I have been talking about how “attacking the middle of the field with success” is the key to winning NFL football games.

Conversely, this is why you have been hearing me implore the Cardinals year after year to acquire slot CBs who can mirror the best slot WRs in the league.

If you can’t defend the middle of the field —- you can’t win on any consistent basis in the National Football League.

Tom Brady won 7 Super Bowls by attacking the middle of the field with relentless aplomb and accuracy.

Now, move over Brady, because Patrick Mahomes is doing the same thing.

Today’s MVP wide receivers are the ones who win from the slot.

Today’s perimeter WRs are less important than they were when most teams were featuring the Al Davis style of vertical passing games.

Fact is, slot WRs are more important.

Did you know, the NFL’s top 5 WRs in 2022 and 2023 are all win regularly from the slot?

2022 NFL season’s most productive slot receivers: CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson and more | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF

2022:

1. Justin Jefferson : 1,809
2. Tyreek Hill: 1,710
3. Davonte Adams: 1.516
4. A.J. Brown: 1,496
5. Stefon Diggs: 1,429

2023:

1. Tyreek Hill: 1,799
2. CeeDee Lamb: 1,749
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown: 1,515
4. Puka Nacua: 1,486
5. A.J. Brown: 1,456

Super Bowl History:

How many perimeter, classic kind of WR1s have been named MVP of the Super Bowl?

This might surprise you.

Answer: 0

How many slot WRs have won Super Bowl MVP’s:

This might surprise you.

Answer: 8

Super Bowl —— slot WR ———- catches, yards, TDs —- QB

• X —- Lynn Swann (PIT) —– 4/161/1-TD —- Terry Bradshaw
• XI —- Fred Biletnikoff (OAK) —- 4/79/0 —- Ken Stabler
• XXIII —- Jerry Rice (SF) —- 11/215/1-TD —- Joe Montana
• XXXIX —- Deion Branch (NE) —- 11/133/0 —- Tom Brady
• XL —- Santonio Holmes (PIT) —- 9/131/1-TD —- Ben Roethlisberger
• LII —- Julian Edelman (NE) —- 10/141/0 —- Tom Brady
• LVI —- Cooper Kupp (LAR) —- 8/92/2-TDs —- Matthew Stafford

Note: had the Cardinals managed to hold off the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, chances are highly likely that Larry Fitzgerald (7/127/2-TD) would have been named the Super Bowl MVP. Where did Fitz do most of his damage? From the slot.

Wanna get some goosebumps today? Click on this 1-minute treasure:

Larry Fitzgerald 64 Yard Touchdown Super Bowl XLIII (2008) (youtube.com)

Which WRs in the 2024 NFL Draft are the most prolific from the slot?

PFF Rank —- WR —-number of slot receptions —- man coverage grade —- yards from slot

• 2 —- Marvin Harrison Jr. —- 21/67 —- 82.6 —- 355 —- Ohio St.
• 4 —- Malik Nabers —- 51/89 —- 90.8 —- 991 —- LSU
• 8 —- Rome Odunze —- 14/92 —- 89.5 —- 253 —- Washington
• 24 —- Troy Franklin —- 15/81 —- 82.2 —- 232 —- Oregon
• 29 —- Brian Thomas Jr. —- 8/68 —- 61.2 —- 167 —- LSU
• 33 —- Ladd McConkey —- 8/30 —- 60.1 —- 115 —- Georgia
• 37 —- Adonai Mitchell —- 5/55 —- 66.9 —- 69 —- Texas
• 39 —- Keon Coleman —- 11/50 —- 70.7 —- Florida St.
• 48 —- Roman Wilson —- 30/48 —- 75.7 —- 476 —- Michigan
• 52 —- Jermaine Burton —- 5/39 —- 68.5 —- 136 —- Alabama
• 56 —- Ricky Pearsall —- 43/65 —- 72.1 —- 559 —- Florida
• 61 —- Ja’Lynn Polk —- 32/69 —- 74.3 —- 453 —- Washington
• 63 —- Jalen McMillan —- 39/45 —- 61.5 —- 489 —- Washington
• 66 —- Xavier Worthy —- 29/75 —- 66.4 —- 434 —- Texas
• 70 —- Devontez Walker —- 2/41 —- 54.8 —- 43 —- North Carolina
• 72 —- Johnny Wilson —- 3/41 —- 66.8 —- 44 —- Florida St.
• 74 —- Xavier Legette —- 24/71 —- 85.6 —- 443 —- South Carolina
• 75 —- Jamari Thrash —- 6/62 —- 71.2 —- 78 —- Louisville
• 78 —- Malachi Corley —- 61/79 —- 80.7 —- 798 —-Western Kentucky

Why Nabors is Extraordinary:

• Highest grade vs. man coverage —- Nabers: 90.8 (and that’s in the SEC)
• Most yards from slot —- Nabers: 991
• Get this —- average yards per catch from slot: Nabers: 19.4

Watch the first 5 plays:

Play 1: here’s the thing about Nabers in the slot —- if you try to play inside leverage, he beats you on a corner route every time. He posted a 4.4 40 and 38” vertical at LSU and has an uncanny knack for getting the CB to bite on foot and head fakes.

Play 2: from the slot he is a home run waiting to happen on double-move, deep posts.

Play 3: he is flexible enough to line up wide where you can isolate him on the CB and get over the top on fades.

Play 4: here from the slot he fakes a stick route and bolts to the flat where he catches the pass and displays his outstanding YAC ability, turning what should have been a 12-yard catch into a 45-yard field flipper.

Play 5: This is a 4th-down play, and once again, when he sees inside leverage, he pops the corner route to the outside. Very savvy.

NFL Player Comp for Malik Nabers (6-0, 195, 4.4, 38” vert)

He’s a combination of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s ((6-0, 202, 5.1, 38.5” vert.) savvy route-running and D.J. Moore’s (6-0, 210, 4.4, 38” vert.) cat-like quickness and YAC ability.

2023 stats:

• Amon-Ra St, Brown —- 119/1.515 yards, 10 TDs (#3 in NFL WR leaders)
• D.J. Moore —- 90/1,384 yards, 8 TDs (#6 in NFL WR leaders)

Conclusion:

Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze are outstanding on the perimeter —- and if that’s what you are looking for, then either one of them fits the bill.

Malik Nabers in the slot, with his quickness, versatility, YAC ability and double-move separations is the most dynamic pass-catching threat and most difficult WR to cover in this draft.

Like a good Nabers —- State Farm is there?

That is, if….

“With their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select…(click here!)

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s another guy who wins big-time from the slot:

Photo by Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Yeah, that guy, #19. At 6-4 (rounded up from 6-3 and 5/8 perhaps), 240 and 4.48 speed.

If you are making the call with the Cardinals’ first pick and the plan is to take a receiver, if all receivers are available, which one do you pick and why?