BYU receiver Samson Nacua makes a place during game against Virginia at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. Nacua is hoping to get an opportunity to take his game to the NFL.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Receiver Samson Nacua was asked an interesting question at BYU’s pro day last month after the former Utah Ute stole the show, according to some, with a strong performance in the Cougars’ indoor practice facility.
If he makes an NFL roster and gets the chance to introduce himself during Sunday night games on NBC, will he say his school was Utah or BYU?
“Both,” Nacua said, without batting an eye. “I am going with both. I don’t know which one to say, so I am going both.”
“Either way, drafted or not drafted, I believe I am getting a phone call. So I will be ready for whatever comes my way, and whoever calls me up, I will be ready to go over there and make a difference.” — BYU receiver Samson Nacua
First things first, obviously. Nacua almost certainly won’t hear his name called later this week when the 2022 NFL draft is held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas. He’s not showing up on any NFL mock draft boards.
But he should get a shot as an undrafted free agent, and will at least have a chance to show a team what he can do. At pro day, the brother of former Cougar Kai Nacua and current Cougar Puka Nacua turned some heads, he believes.
“Either way, drafted or not drafted, I believe I am getting a phone call,” Samson said. “So I will be ready for whatever comes my way, and whoever calls me up, I will be ready to go over there and make a difference.”
At 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, Samson has great size for an NFL receiver. At pro day, he showed decent speed (4.48-second 40-yard dash) and hands, taking in some long throws from Baylor Romney without breaking stride.
𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦@lionel_nacua x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ptFzNmXsyM
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) April 27, 2022
“I don’t know if I stole the show. Everyone put on a great show,” Nacua said after pro day. “I couldn’t do what I did without seeing what the other guys were doing. Everyone was competing with themselves. It was awesome to see everybody kill it.”
Nacua’s agent is Steve Caric of Caric Sports Management.
Nacua played for Utah from 2016-20, then transferred to BYU to be closer to his mother and grandmother, who live in Provo. He caught 21 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns in 2021, finishing strong after a slow start due to various hamstring issues.
At Utah, he played in 45 games, starting in eight. He played in four games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season for the Utes, after having led Utah in touchdown receptions in 2018 (five) and 2019 (four).
Nacua said transferring to BYU for his final season of eligibility helped him grow as a person and a player.
“Especially with off-the-field stuff. If you knew the old Samson back at Utah, the kid was very reckless and just having fun,” he said. “I got to lock in a little bit more (at BYU) and hone in a little bit more and just see what my future could be when I came down here.”
Nacua said BYU receivers coach Fesi Sitake was instrumental in helping him realize his potential.
“And coach Kalani (Sitake) just helped me grow off the field as a man a lot.”
Samson Nacua (45) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Washington State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019.
Spenser Heaps, Deseret News