WR Puka Nacua Post-Draft Scouting Report: Why The Rookie Is Such A Surprise

As there always seem to be numerous late-round rookies who surprisingly break out every year, it’s become a tradition to do post-draft scouting reports. I only evaluate around 150 prospects yearly, and Puka Nacua didn’t make the last draft list. That was due to his lack of speed and the fact he went to BYU. He also didn’t have the best production at BYU, so it’s a massive surprise to see him have 338 yards in the first three games. I analyzed his all-22 film to see what’s leading to his success and his strengths and weaknesses. There is a ton of hype around him, and rightfully so. He currently leads the league in targets at week three, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he responds to the hype.

2023 Stats (Through WK Three)

Film Analysis

Week 1: @ SEA

• Dropped a pass on a short in route, although it was a poor throw
• Showed excellent physicality after the catch
• Threw some nice blocks against DBs
• Dropped a good throw that was in traffic
• Showed the needed foot quickness to beat press coverage
• Had the awareness to find weak spots in coverage
• A Corner tried pressing him and ended up on the ground – showed excellent strength

Week 2: vs. SF

• Continued to find soft spots in coverage and clearly has phenomenal chemistry and timing with the QB
• Dropped a contested catch opportunity against Charvarious Ward
• Got jammed badly by Ward; granted, he is one of the best press Corners in the league
• Showed a nice ability to stop and turn on a hitch route and made a catch in traffic
• Dropped an accurate throw over the middle on a deep in-route

Week 3: @ CIN

• Grabbed the ball with one hand on a pass thrown behind him
• Continued to show outstanding toughness as a blocker as he took on Trey Hendrickson
• Puka literally pancaked a DB as a run-blocker
• Showed improvement catching in traffic

Grades

OVR Grade: 1-100

Traits/ Skills

Puka Nacua’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Puka Nacua Bio

Strengths

• Excellent first step aids him in beating press and creating yards after the catch
• Tough and elusive after the catch
• Lengthy and compact frame – has room to build muscle
• High IQ player with the awareness to find open space in coverage
• Uses his impressive foot quickness and size to beat press – has several ways to win against press
• Consistently ran terrific short in routes – understands how to beat leverage
• Runs routes on time and is in sync with the QB
• Has the frame to potentially be a stud ball winner
• Legit stop-turn ability that makes him ideal for hitches, spot routes, and curls
• Ideal run blocker for McVay’s scheme – has the needed size and toughness

Weaknesses

• Lacks the vertical ability and concentration to haul in 50-50 balls – still has yet to hual in a contested catch
• Doesn’t have the ideal top-end speed to play on the outside
• Someone his size should have better hands in traffic
• Doesn’t turn it on in the redzone like some other Receivers do – still has zero TDs
• Isn’t dominant at any particular trait

Combine

40 yd:

10 yd:

Shuttle:

3 cone:

Broad Jump:

Vertical:

Bench:

Arm length: 31.5

Hand Size: 9.5

Pro Day

40 yd: 4.56

10 yd: 1.62

Shuttle: 4.36

3 cone: 7.32

Broad Jump: 121

Vertical: 33

Bench:

Arm length:

Hand Size:

Final conclusion on Puka Nacua

For someone with as much hype as Puka, I was rather underwhelmed watching his all-22. He’s undoubtedly a quality Receiver but lacks any sort of elite trait to hang his hat on. In all fairness, he has that ‘it’ factor you look for in a Receiver. He’ll be open 90% of the time due to his awareness and ability to know precisely where Stafford wants to put the ball. That is something special about Puka, but as we saw in the Bengals game, he wasn’t much of a factor when more attention was drawn his way.

The reason he comes as such a surprise is for various reasons. The NFL is a big step up from BYU, and he had subpar testing numbers for the modern game. While he showed some impressive traits at BYU, no one could’ve expected such staggering numbers for a rookie. His connection with Stafford is what makes him such a problem. He has this innate trait to know exactly where the weak spot is in coverage and attacks it.

While he’s putting up superstar-level stats, his film indicates that most of his production is due to McVay’s brilliant job of scheming him open. He doesn’t have blazing speed, he isn’t winning with these fancy routes, and he hasn’t had any big-time tough catches. With all that said, he does the little things well; therefore, he is just a solid Receiver benefiting from a phenomenal scheme. For a fifth-round pick, I’d still be excited to have this competent of a playmaker. I just think he’s far from a Justin Jefferson or Davante Adams type. Realistically his ceiling is similar to someone like Adam Thielen. That would still be an absolute steal for a fifth-rounder, but the media needs to pump the brakes on him.