Puka Nacua draft: Why BYU star fell to Rams in the fifth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Kyle Irving

Puka Nacua draft: Why BYU star fell to Rams in the fifth round of 2023 NFL Draft image

The Rams struck gold with star rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who somehow fell to the fifth round and 177th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

All 32 teams passed on Nacua at least once, and 19 other wide receivers were taken ahead of the future Pro Bowler. The BYU product wasted no time in showing how productive he could be, racking up 25 receptions in his first two games and over 100 yards receiving in three of his first four games.

While no one could have seen this type of breakout coming, Nacua produced the best season by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history. His 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards were both the most all-time by a rookie, passing Dolphins star Jaylen Waddle (104 in 2021) and Bill Groman (1,473 in 1960), respectively.

How did Nacua get overlooked and slide in the 2023 NFL Draft? The Sporting News takes a look back at his college stats and scouting report below.

MORE: Sporting News' NFL experts make their playoff, Super Bowl 58 picks

Puka Nacua college stats

Nacua was a four-year college player, attending Washington in 2019 and 2020 before transferring to BYU for his final two seasons in 2021 and 2022.

Surprisingly enough, Nacua never dominated at the college level the way he did in his rookie NFL season. He was never an All-American or All-Conference. He never had 1,000 receiving yards in a season, nor double-digit touchdown receptions in a season. 

He did have 10 total touchdowns in his final season at BYU, though, tallying five rushing touchdowns and 209 rushing yards.

Year School G Rec. Rec. Yds Rec. TD Rush Yds Rush TDs
2019 Washington 8 7 168 2 0 0
2020* Washington 3 9 151 1 0 0
2021 BYU 12 43 805 6 148 0
2022 BYU 9 48 625 5 209 5
Total 32 107 1,749 14 357 5

*Indicates COVID-shortened season.

Puka Nacua NFL Draft scouting report

Nacua was listed at 6-2, 201 lbs. and ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

The NFL's "Next Gen Stats" grades each combine prospect with a production score and athleticism score, and Nacua raked 12th and 47th, respectively, among the draft classmates at his position. Overall, those scores measured him as the 37th-best receiver in the class — a ranking that was clearly off the mark.

Nacua's prospect grade projected him to be an "average backup or special-teamer" expected to go in the sixth or seventh round.

NFL DRAFT: Big board of top 100 players overall, rankings by position

Here were some of his perceived strengths and weaknesses, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Strengths

  • Routes offer leverage and crisp angles on the move
  • Nice job of gaining vertical stack on cornerbacks
  • Basketball background on display when making contested catches
  • Gains late catch space with physicality and hand fighting
  • Battered defenses as jet-sweep option
  • Tough and slippery with the ball in his hands

Weaknesses

  • Will struggle to elude NFL press coverage
  • Lacks instant acceleration to separate
  • Upright route running makes him easy to redirect
  • Does not have the long speed to keep corners from squatting
  • Occasional issues with focus on downfield targets

Wide receivers taken in 2023 NFL Draft

If every NFL team could have a do-over, it's safe to assume Nacua would not fall to the fifth round and 177th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

There were 19 wide receivers taken ahead of the breakout star, some of whom performed well during their rookie seasons and others who failed to make an impact.

Prospects like Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison and Rashee Rice were top options for their quarterbacks all year. Others like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jayden Reed and Tank Dell had bright moments that should have their franchises excited about their future. None were as productive as Nacua, though.

Below you can find all 19 WRs selected ahead of Nacua in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Round Pick Player Team School
1 20 Jaxon Smith-Njigba Seahawks Ohio State
1 21 Quentin Johnston Chargers TCU
1 22 Zay Flowers Ravens Boston College
1 23 Jordan Addison Vikings USC
2 39 Jonathan Mingo Panthers Ole Miss
2 50 Jayden Reed Packers Michigan State
2 55 Rashee Rice Chiefs SMU
2 63 Marvin Mims Broncos Oklahoma
3 69 Tank Dell Texans Houston
3 73 Jalin Hyatt Giants Tennessee
3 74 Cedric Tillman Browns Tennessee
3 79 Josh Downs Colts North Carolina
3 94 Michael Wilson Cardinals Stanford
3 100 Tre Tucker Raiders Cincinnati
4 125 Derius Davis Chargers TCU
4 131 Charlie Jones Bengals Purdue
4 133 Tyler Scott Bears Cincinnati
5 150 Justin Shorter Bills Florida
5 159 Dontayvion Wicks Packers Virginia
5 177 Puka Nacua Rams BYU

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.