Welcome! Log In Create A New Profile

Advanced

Not a big "review" guy

July 21, 2023 07:54AM
Quote
Rams43
There were rave reviews when AD had his rookie camp.

Same thing with Cooper Kupp.

My point? Sometimes these early rave reviews can prove legit.

I need to see it during real games before I get too excited about OTA and Camp Superstars.

I was pretty sure Nelson Spruce and Tutu Atwell were first ballot HOF'ers based on the "reviews" they got before actually doing anything when it counted too. So I will try and be cautiously optimistic. lol

I am excited to see Puka get some reps in preseason. If he has any potential at all, we should get a glimpse of it during Preseason action.

I want to see at least 4-5 big plays from him and a few TD's. That should get him some consideration for in season snaps. If he has 7+ big plays and 4+ TD's he will absolutely have earned some real game snaps!

Per Bleacher Report prior to the combine: Article Link

POSITIVES

— Good speed. Can run a vertical route tree effectively.

— Great burst and explosion. Accelerates quickly; can make devastating cuts with the ball.

— Very good play strength. Can hold his own very well in traffic and versus press.

— Good ball tracking and hand-eye coordination to snag the ball no matter the location.

— Elite YAC. Fast, explosive, strong with natural ball-carrier vision.

— Great blocker. Tough, physical mentality with requisite size and strength.

NEGATIVES

— Route tree was limited at BYU. Used as more of a hybrid gadget player than legitimate wide receiver.

— Below-average route-running skills. Too clunky getting in and out of breaks.

OVERALL

Puka Nacua is the perfect wide receiver for the Shanahan-style offense that permeates the league.

He is raw, though. BYU did not ask him to run many routes beyond slants, go balls or under routes—all of which allowed him to use his burst and speed without much tact.

On the occasion Nacua was asked to run more refined routes, his footwork tended to be clunky and he didn't quite sink and explode out of those routes comfortably. He has the athletic tools to do it; he just didn't look comfortable or prepared to do so.

But for as raw as his route running is, he "gets" other parts of the position. Nacua's strong, filled-out frame allows him to win with physicality, both at the line and in traffic.

Additionally, he is quite good at finding the ball in the air and adjusting to it. He isn't a true Mike Williams-style ball-winner, but he does well to locate balls outside his frame and leap, dive or bend however he needs to in order to get his hands on the ball.

His hands are fairly reliable too.

Where Nacua really fits the Shanahan offense is with his yards-after-the-catch (YAC) and blocking skills. He is as explosive as they come with the ball in his hands. He has B-plus-level speed, impressive explosiveness and the natural open-field vision of a running back.

In fact, BYU often funneled carries to Nacua via jet sweeps and legitimate handoffs from a running back alignment, taking advantage of his size and burst. On top of that, Nacua is a very willing blocker who has the size and strength to be a useful piece in that aspect.

Nacua may not be a prospect for everyone. His route running is very raw, and fixing that may be an undertaking some teams don't want to deal with, especially if they want early production.

For the Shanahan-type offenses around the NFL, however, Nacua's size, YAC skills and blocking prowess could make him a difference-maker sooner rather than later.



#HelmetHornsMatter

“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.

“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood


SubjectAuthorViewsPosted

  Which storylines are you buying and selling heading into camp?

Rams43133July 21, 2023 06:59AM

  About the Puka Nacua rave reviews…

Rams4381July 21, 2023 07:03AM

  Re: About the Puka Nacua rave reviews…

den-the-coach74July 21, 2023 07:32AM

  That's been the thing

JimYoungblood5357July 21, 2023 08:03AM

  Not a big "review" guy

Ramsdude64July 21, 2023 07:54AM

  Re: Long Summer Ahead

leafnose57July 22, 2023 05:23AM