Puka Nacua NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Los Angeles Rams' WR
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 201
HAND: 9½"
ARM: 31½"
WINGSPAN: TBD
40-YARD DASH: TBD
3-CONE: TBD
SHUTTLE: TBD
VERTICAL: TBD
BROAD: TBD
POSITIVES
— Good speed. Can run a vertical route tree effectively.
— Great burst and explosion. Accelerates quickly; can make devastating cuts with the ball.
— Very good play strength. Can hold his own very well in traffic and versus press.
— Good ball tracking and hand-eye coordination to snag the ball no matter the location.
— Elite YAC. Fast, explosive, strong with natural ball-carrier vision.
— Great blocker. Tough, physical mentality with requisite size and strength.
NEGATIVES
— Route tree was limited at BYU. Used as more of a hybrid gadget player than legitimate wide receiver.
— Below-average route-running skills. Too clunky getting in and out of breaks.
NOTES
— DOB: May 29, 2000
— 4-star recruit, per 247 Sports; committed to Washington in 2019; transferred to BYU in 2021
— 14 starts at BYU
— Minor undisclosed injury vs USF; minor knee injury vs. Wyoming; missed four games total in 2022
OVERALL
Puka Nacua is the perfect wide receiver for the Shanahan-style offense that permeates the league.
He is raw, though. BYU did not ask him to run many routes beyond slants, go balls or under routes—all of which allowed him to use his burst and speed without much tact.
On the occasion Nacua was asked to run more refined routes, his footwork tended to be clunky and he didn't quite sink and explode out of those routes comfortably. He has the athletic tools to do it; he just didn't look comfortable or prepared to do so.
But for as raw as his route running is, he "gets" other parts of the position. Nacua's strong, filled-out frame allows him to win with physicality, both at the line and in traffic.
Additionally, he is quite good at finding the ball in the air and adjusting to it. He isn't a true Mike Williams-style ball-winner, but he does well to locate balls outside his frame and leap, dive or bend however he needs to in order to get his hands on the ball.
His hands are fairly reliable too.
Where Nacua really fits the Shanahan offense is with his yards-after-the-catch (YAC) and blocking skills. He is as explosive as they come with the ball in his hands. He has B-plus-level speed, impressive explosiveness and the natural open-field vision of a running back.
In fact, BYU often funneled carries to Nacua via jet sweeps and legitimate handoffs from a running back alignment, taking advantage of his size and burst. On top of that, Nacua is a very willing blocker who has the size and strength to be a useful piece in that aspect.
Nacua may not be a prospect for everyone. His route running is very raw, and fixing that may be an undertaking some teams don't want to deal with, especially if they want early production.
For the Shanahan-type offenses around the NFL, however, Nacua's size, YAC skills and blocking prowess could make him a difference-maker sooner rather than later.
GRADE: 6.9 (Potential Role Player)
OVERALL RANK: 92
POSITION RANK: WR13
PRO COMPARISON: Discount Deebo Samuel
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen
