Welcome to the NFL young beginner! After being important players in their universities, rookies must once again earn their places in the pros. Who are they and what hopes do they raise? Come and discover these new gems.
Makea “Puka” Nacua
Born May 29, 2001 in Provo, Utah
1m85 for 93 kilos
Receiver, Los Angeles Rams
Only the 20th receiver chosen in the 2023 draft, Puka Nacua is the nice surprise of the start of the NFL season.
If I Was an NFL Start: Right Place at Right Time
Cooper Kupp’s injury made Puka Nacua the Rams’ No. 1 receiver. His production allowed him to break records for a rookie. So despite the absence of one of the best in the league, the Los Angeles aerial attack is doing well: 3rd in the NFL in passing yards gained.
Tutu Atwell is the receiver responsible for attacking the depth while Puka Nacua is responsible for the shorter routes. Sean McVay very often asks him to play a Hitch Road. This tactic is very effective against zone defenses.
When the ball is engaged, the player sprints to let the cornerback believe that he is going to attack deep. But 5 to 7 yards further, he returns to his quarterback to receive the ball inside the marks. The receiver must then gain yards after receptions.
Against Seattle for the season opener, Puka Nacua ran the route five times Hitch and five times Matthew Stafford threw him the ball. This technique is difficult to defend when well executed: freed from the defender’s marking, Puka Nacua gains a lot of yards after receptions.
If I were a quality: offensive weapon
Some runners like Bijan Robinson have the dual skills of being able to run but also catch balls. Fewer receivers can also contribute on the ground.
In 2021, Puka Nacua signed with BYU 805 yards and 6 touchdowns in the air. He added 148 yards in 14 rushing games. The following season, he confirmed by scoring 10 touchdowns: 5 after a reception and 5 after a race!
His size as well as the liveliness of his support make him a perfect player for gaining yards after reception. And for a creative coach like Sean McVay, Puka Nacua is the perfect player to feint the opponent.
If I were a flaw: lack of “elite” quality
Because franchises want to minimize risks during the draft, they all have specifications to fulfill depending on the positions. For a receiver, the player must correspond to a category: that of the very fast receiver or that of the big and strong.
The 4.57-second 40-yard dash time at his Pro Day didn’t assure scouts he could match the first item. And if his physique is above the NFL average for the receiver position, Puka Nacua is far from being the most imposing.
To successfully make the NCAA/NFL transition, a player is favored if he possesses superior quality, one checking a box in the position description. Puka Nacua slipped to pick 177 in the 2023 draft as he appears to lack elite quality. “Seems” being the right word given his early career in the NFL!
If I were an NFL player: Deebo Samuel (49ers)
All NFL fans know that Deebo Samuel is capable of standing out to catch a pass but also of running with the leather: 15 rushing touchdowns in 5 NFL seasons! This was already the case with the University of South Carolina as evidenced by his 6 rushing touchdowns in 2016, before his coaches only used him as a receiver to minimize the risk of injuries.
Puka Nacua offers the same kind of profile to gain yards after a reception or following a run.
If I were a journey: return to the country
Puka Nacua spent her teenage years six miles from the BYU campus, after a childhood in Las Vegas. Star of his high school, in 2019 he is the number 1 high school student in Utah and the 22nd receiver nationally! Of course courted by the state’s two flagship programs, Utah and BYU, he nevertheless joined the University of Washington in Seattle.
From his first season, he performed well in a number 4 receiver role: the one who plays little but each time for a “big play”. Only 7 receptions in 8 games but 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. Above all, he managed an average of 24 yards per reception! After a following season truncated by the pandemic (the university playing only 4 games in 2020), he returned to the region where his family is.
Very successful at BYU, he however experienced multiple injuries: none serious but several! And during the draft process, a toe injury before the 2023 NFL Combine and a concussion in the first practice at the Senior Bowl, prevented him from shining during these important events. There is no doubt that this limited his rating among NFL staff during the 2023 draft.
Les Snead (manager) and Sean McVay (coach) rose to the occasion.
