path to the draft: samson nacua
2021 BYU SEASON:
Samson Nacua is one of four brothers to play football at BYU. From choosing to spend his last year of college eligibility at BYU with his younger brother, Puka, to following his older brother Kai’s NFL process, it’s clear that the most important thing to Samson is family.
“I felt like the timing in my life, it was perfect for me to choose BYU — to get more self discipline, build myself, help build my family, and just to come home. BYU was a perfect spot for me, it felt like home, and it felt like a really good environment to go to,” Nacua says of his decision to transfer from Utah to BYU.
This season, Nacua recorded 21 receptions for 329 yards and four touchdowns — one being against his former team, Utah.
“Oh, this season was unbelievable. It helped me find the love of the game again. Being with my little brother, being at home, and having my family being right there to support me — It was just a dream come true, honestly,” says Nacua of his 2021 BYU Season.
Not only did BYU allow Nacua to be closer to his family, but it also helped him prepare for his dream of playing in the NFL.
“BYU prepared me for this time now [in California training] where I'm at out all alone, away from my family, away from friends and just being here right now. Just a lot of self discipline and it helped me grow more off the field and become more of a man,” says Nacua.
PRO DAY TRAINING:
In preparation for Pro Day, Nacua has been training at California Strength Football in Los Gatos, California. Over the last decade, California Strength Football has trained 28 NFL draft picks. Three tight ends from Nacua’s training group participated in this year’s NFL combine: Greg Dulcich from UCLA , Jelani Woods from Virginia, and Charlie Kolar from Iowa State.
Nacua found his agent and training program through his brother Kai, a former defensive back at BYU and current New York Jets safety. Samson recalls watching Kai's process — working with an agent, training, and performing at Pro Day. His brother’s success to get to the NFL through this process, led Samson to sign with the same agent and trainers. Because of this, the brothers have spent a few weeks training together at California Strength Football during Kai’s off season.
“Having my brother Kai out here and him telling me how much improvement he sees has just been beautiful,” says Nacua.
“Going through the process myself has been awesome. I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve seen so much improvement in my body, drills, and everything that I've been working on here,” Nacua says of his experience training for Pro Day.
Almost everything for Nacua’s training is within walking distance. Nacua, and others training with him have lived in a hotel for the past few months. Right across the street from the hotel is The Club at Los Gatos — a boutique, multi-modality fitness center. This is where he eats breakfast and does his recovery and measures his body composition. Just 500 yards up the road is California Strength’s training facility where he has lifting sessions and yoga. A 10 minute drive takes him to the practice field for drills and position work.
“It's a small town here in Los Gatos, California. As I walk out and head to breakfast, I see the same people every day walking their dog, so I say good morning to Chris and Erica,” Nacua says of the community.
Every morning, Nacua wakes up at 7:45 am takes a shower, goes through mental preparation, and then heads to The Club for breakfast and recovery.
“Bacon breakfast burrito and mixed berry smoothie. Totally amazing. Same thing every day,” says Nacua of his go-to breakfast.
Next, Nacua hits the practice field to do drills, testing, and position work. Following field work, he returns to The Club for body comps to measure his mass gains. He then walks up the street to the California Strength facility to relax for a few hours before having a lifting session to end the day.
“I’m really focused on what I want to do with my life, whether it be football or not, just finding out more about myself, where my thoughts are, and where I want to take my future. It’s been a grind, but it's been beautiful,” Nacua says of how is daily life and routine has changed since declaring.
Since moving to California, Nacua has picked up new hobbies outside of football.
“I just started reading, writing in my journal a little bit, and enjoying this process. I bought some coloring books so I be coloring in my room. Coloring has been my favorite thing right now I went to the dollar store, got a bunch of coloring books and just been learning how to keep inside the lines,” says Nacua.
On the weekends, Nacua spends his time at a local restaurant listening to live music.
“Whether it be jazz or a guy on his guitar, I just sit there and enjoy their music. Then walk back home to my hotel and get a good night's rest to prepare for Sunday and church,” says Nacua.
PRO DAY:
When asked about his Pro Day goals, Samson says, “Goals is just have fun with it. I feel like when I play my best is when I’m having fun and not overthinking. I'm just going with the flow.”
Known for his smiley face eye black, it makes sense that for Samson, it’s most important to keep smiling and have a good time.
“My biggest goal is just let the scouts see how much I really love this game, no matter what's going to happen…just having fun with it and showing everyone my smile,” says Nacua.
Nacua put on a show at Pro Day. He participated in the bench press (16 reps), vertical jump (32 inches), broad jump (10 feet 1 inch), 40-yard dash (4.48 seconds), 20-yard shuttle (4.34 seconds), and three-cone drill (6.75 seconds). Nacua’s impressive three-cone drill time would have ranked him No. 8 among all Combine participants and No. 3 among wide receivers at this year’s Combine.
“Everyone put on a great show. Everyone was competing with themselves, at the end of the day. Everyone put on a great show today and it was just awesome to see everybody kill it,” said Nacua of his thoughts on Pro Day.
The 2022 NFL Draft will begin on April 28th in Las Vegas.