SAN JOSE — It was one last hurrah for Nick Nash on his home field, where he became one of the most prolific receivers in the history of San Jose State football.
Nash went through the paces on his pro day last month with some of his Spartans teammates, catching everything thrown his way as usual.
“One last time for us to get together,” Nash said.
As a senior, Nash won the NCAA’s triple crown, leading the nation in receptions (104), yards (1,382) and touchdowns (16). So it’s clear Nash can do the three things that are most important in the NFL — get open, catch the ball and score touchdowns.
If only it were that simple.
When the NFL Draft begins with the first round Thursday, Nash’s phone will be silent. Barring a major surprise, it will remain that way on Friday through the second and third rounds. Finally on Day 3, Nash will receive the call that he hopes will change his life anywhere from the fourth through seventh rounds.
Twenty-six teams showed up to see Nash and some of his college teammates work out at CEFCU Stadium last month. Nash knows the draft process is ultra-critical, and he plans on being patient.
“It’s politics. It’s how it works,” Nash said after his workout. “I’m not really worried about the outside noise. I’m just trying to focus on myself and showing I belong at the next level.”
Nash sat out the Spartans’ 41-39 loss to South Florida in the Hawaii Bowl to get a jump on the NFL Scouting Combine. He trained at Bommarito Performance in Miami to enhance physical attributes other than being able to exploit holes in a defense and convert first downs.
“Got me where I needed to be,” Nash said.
Nash’s 40-yard dash time was an adequate 4.57 with a 34-inch vertical leap and a 10 foot, 3 inch broad jump. He measured at just over 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds. It won’t be enough for a first-round draft day call like previous triple-crown winners DeVonta Smith of Alabama (No. 10 overall to Philadelphia in 2020) or Michael Crabtree (No. 10 to the 49ers in 2009).
A fourth triple-crown winner, Jerreth Sterns of Western Kentucky, never did get drafted in 2021 after catching 150 passes for 1,902 yards and 17 touchdowns. He signed as an undrafted free agent with Tampa Bay, didn’t stick, had a cup of coffee on the Rams practice squad, and is now property of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
Nash just wants a chance, and he knows what NFL teams are looking for. He’s been invited to the 49ers’ local Pro Day on April 9. The 49ers traded Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk isn’t expected to play until the season is underway after a torn ACL.
“I think getting off press coverage is going to be the biggest thing,” Nash said. “From the coaches that I’ve talked to, that’s the biggest transition for all receivers. I can do it, but it’s obviously something I still have to work on.”
Now that the measuring and timing of the combine is done, Nash believes he can sell an NFL team an obvious truth — that nothing matters more for a wide receiver than finding open areas, securing the ball and getting in the end zone.
Nash came to San Jose State as a quarterback before moving to receiver in 2022. So he understands route concepts and how things work in the passing game.
Nick Nash (3) of Sam Jose State scores one of his 16 touchdowns in 2024 against Wyoming at CEFCU Stadium.
“I would say the ability to get open, high-point balls and my aggressiveness toward catching it will be the biggest thing,” he said. “My mind is going to be a big key for me, showing I can learn an offense quickly and produce at a high level.”
San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget is admittedly biased. Nash was both his roommate, golf partner and favorite receiver and the thought of him lasting until Day 3 is a head-scratcher.
“It blows my mind,” Eget said. “I think he will be one of the best players in the NFL right away. I think people don’t know the amount of knowledge he has and the understanding of the game he he has. He’s still young at the position compared to guys who have played it their whole life.”
There are plenty of examples of receivers whose skill at catch the ball has superseded the physical attributes of running and jumping.
The 49ers got their leading receiver in 2024, Jauan Jennings, in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Rams got Cooper Kupp in the third round, and all he did was win the NFL’s version of the triple crown in 2021. Kupp is now with Seattle, in part because the Rams found another gem in Puka Nacua of Brigham Young in the fifth round in 2023 (177 overall) after 19 other wide receivers were drafted.
For what it’s worth, Nacua’s 40-yard dash time at the combine was 4.57 — the same as Nash.
“I feel like I can play fast, I can play slower, I can play big and small,” Nash said. “I think I’m pretty versatile in that way. I’d say the closest comp would be Nacua and Kupp, and it would be cool to end up with someone like that and learn from some of those guys.”
Field Yates covers the NFL and the draft for ESPN and likes what he sees even if he believes Nash will last until the third day.
“I like Nick a lot,” Yates said on a conference call. “He has got so much nuance and craft to his game. The guy is operating at a higher level than any defensive back that tried to cover him unsuccessfully last year.”
Yates sees Nash as being similar to Marques Colston, a former seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra who caught 711 passes for 9,759 yards and 72 touchdowns in 10 seasons as a perfect offensive fit for coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees.
With a bigger body than a slot corner and agile enough to get away from linebackers and safeties, Yates sees a possible future as an inside slot receiver.
Jordan Reid, another ESPN draft analyst, cited Nash’s moderate physical gifts as a negative in a draft sense.
“He put up some gaudy numbers last year. They pushed the ball to him a whole bunch and he put up ridiculous numbers,” Reid said. “I think fifth or sixth is a fair projection. The production is off the charts. It’s just a matter of how comfortable are you with his athleticism?”
Nash doesn’t take the critiques personally and smiles when it’s suggested that catching the ball is actually down the list when it comes to scouting NFL receivers.
“There’s not much I can do about it,” Nash said. “I’ll leave that to the analysts and scouts. They get paid to do it so I’m sure know what they’re doing.”
Source: Paradise Post
