The 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl is underway from Cell, Alabama, with the primary day of practices taking the sector at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the College of South Alabama’s campus. As the primary follow got here to an in depth, BYU WR Puka Nacua actually stood out.
BYU WR Puka Nacua Dominates Amongst Ability Gamers at Senior Bowl
The day of follow kicked off the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl because the Nationwide Staff took the sector first. Nacua, one in all three BYU gamers in motion, fairly simply stole the present.
Joined by his quarterback Jaren Corridor and offensive deal with Blake Freeland, Nacua was the early standout throughout every drill introduced. Whether or not it was one-on-one battles or team-specific outings, the 6’1″ speedster made his title recognized.
Nacua appeared easy and clean in his routes throughout one-on-one drills, arguably crucial for broad receivers and defensive backs within the early going. On his first rep, Nacua flexed his route-running muscle tissue with a fast drag route over the center that noticed him lose his defender with at the very least 5 yards of separation.
The subsequent rep in one-on-one drills, Nacua confirmed extra of the identical, flipping his defender inside out on one other in-breaking route. He completed his dominant three reps in one-on-ones with a deep route thrown nicely past his again shoulder. Nacua broke off his route on the final second, utilizing his physique management to regulate and practically herald what would have been the most effective catch of the day.
Nonetheless, his efforts in one-on-ones caught the attention of all these in attendance. Professional Soccer Community’s Adam Beasley merely acknowledged, “Nacua was in every single place.” Going even additional, the printed group on NFL+ persistently remarked how briskly, twitchy, and athletic Nacua was in one-on-one drills.
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As soon as group drills began, Nacua flashed much more of his terrific route-running expertise. His most notable rep noticed him promote a vertical route in opposition to the defensive again earlier than planting his foot within the floor and presenting his numbers to his QB, creating pure separation on the catch level.
However he wasn’t completed there. Nacua adopted up a terrific first-down reception with one other dominant route, promoting an inside launch in opposition to off-coverage earlier than stemming his path to the boundary, the place a late throw was the one factor that induced an incompletion.
General, Nacua’s play in all sides was as spectacular as you’d anticipate from a participant who flashed brilliance each time he touched the ball at BYU. There’s a cause that the Provo native hauled in 14 profession landing receptions and even ran for an additional 5 scores for the Cougars this yr.
As acknowledged in our countdown to the Senior Bowl, crucial issue for Nacua was to show he’s wholesome and showcase his terrific athleticism. In doing so, Nacua ought to stand up draft boards with a powerful displaying in Cell.
After Day 1, Nacua isn’t solely rising up draft boards — he’s catapulted his draft inventory by way of the roof.
