NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates 
He’s found himself in one of the NFL’s most envious roles — the featured inside and outside receiver in Sean McVay’s offense.
And not only did the Rams pass on him in the first four rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft — they passed on him three times in the fifth round alone.
He’s former BYU star Puka Nacua, new record-holder of the most catches (25) to begin an NFL career through two games.
He was my No. 199 overall prospect — Nucua was picked at No. 177 overall — and like most of us, probably including the Rams, I did not envision such a blisteringly hot start to his professional career. Here’s a little snippet of my pre-draft scouting report on Nacua.
Good-sized, sneaky YAC wideout with plus ball-tracking capabilities. Doesn’t have the juice or the burst out of his breaks to be a major separator at the next level but has a natural feel for the utilization of his body as a shield with a defender near him… Natural runner with great vision and deceptive contact balance… Runs hard and will mostly maximize what’s blocked for him. Used on screens/jet sweeps often in his offense, which is where most of his production came from. Strong, natural hands. Some release ability at the line but not a high-caliber athlete or super powerful through contact. Sneaky after the catch weapon with the ball-tracking skills teams want out of perimeter receivers.
Clearly, Nacua’s average pro day workout gave me pause about him even going on the second day of the draft. What’s ironic about that now — from a size and measured athleticism perspective, he’s eerily similar to Kupp.
Cooper Kupp
6-2 / 204
4.62
31″
116″
6.75
Puka Nacua
6-1 5/8″ / 210
4.57
33″
113″
7.32
Kupp’s quicker. Beyond that, the two wideouts are very comparable athletically. They also have the exact same arm length (31 1/2″) and hand size (9 1/2″).
Let’s jump into the film room to evaluate the intricacies of Nacua’s game that’ve made him an…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/inside-rams-rookie-puka-nacua-historic-nfl-start-as-wr-has-shown-cooper-kupp-like-polish/
Author : Chris Trapasso
Publish date : 2023-09-18 15:21:17
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
