2023 NFL Draft: Puka Nacua Scouting Report

2023 NFL Draft: Puka Nacua Scouting Report

With most teams eager to find the next weapon X for their offense, Puka Nacua should not be overlooked. A four-star recruit out of high school decided to attend Washington. After not having much of an impact on the team, he opted to follow in his sibling’s footsteps and attend BYU. This paid dividends for him and should help him continue to follow in their footsteps to the next level.

Looking to prove he can make an impact at BYU, Nacua broke out in 2021. He saw a massive uptick in his targets as well as production. From previously maxing out thirteen targets in a season, he garnered almost seventy, catching almost fifty of them. On top of this, he also racked up 805 yards and hauled in six touchdowns. Little did he and BYU know that he was just scraping the surface of his true potential.

Upon seeing how productive Puka Nacua was with the ball in his hands, his role began to expand in his second year with BYU. He doubled his production in the run game, rushing for 209 yards on the season. This dynamic element added to his game helped him finish with a combined 10 touchdowns on the season. While his targets and receptions received an uptick his receiving yards regressed slightly but this should be little reason for concern. His yards after catch show the true story with him accumulating almost 150 more yards than the season prior.

Strengths:

A versatile weapon X for any team he joins – can be used in the Deebo role;

While he may not have the straight-line speed to leave people in his dust, his ability to fight for yards after the catch cannot be understated;

Can locate and adjust to the ball midair, bailing quarterback out of errant throws;

Physicality he shows with the ball in his hands isn’t reserved only for when a play comes his way, tremendous blocker in the run game;

He can start and stop better than most others on the field with him as well as cut on a dime.

Weaknesses:

Average speed which can lead him coverage to get better positioning on him;

Hasn’t shown the reliability to go up and consistently win contested catches;

Doesn’t do a great job of getting off press coverage at the line, concern the Notre Dame game provided the blueprint to shut him down;

Route running needs to be better, can be a bit tight at times;

Could stand to use his hands more when bringing in the catch, liable to have passes bounce off his chest pads;

NFL Comparison: Treylon Burks

Projection: Fifth Round

Bottom Line:

Puka Nacua appears to just be getting started and that should be very exciting for any NFL team who considers him. Having two older brothers in the NFL currently should inspire teams to trust that he can make it in the big leagues. A team that drafts Nacua should expect a player that can be dynamic on the inside as well as hang with the big guys on the outside. His rushing ability makes him the perfect wildcard for most teams. While he may not grow into a Deebo Samuel clone, his talent alone should secure him a special teams spot wherever he goes at minimum.

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