Nick Nash, San Jose State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Nash was a two-star athlete recruit from Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif. in the class of 2018

San Jose State’s Nick Nash made a late-career transition from college quarterback to All-American receiver. Nash led all FBS wide receivers in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns this past season. He projects as a Day 3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft because of some physical limitations.

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Nick Nash, WR San Jose State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Seventh-year redshirt senior slot receiver from Irvine, Calif.

Background: Nash was a two-star athlete recruit from Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif. in the class of 2018. He was an unranked two-star recruit for 247Sports and Rivals. Nash was a three-star recruit and the No. 3,030 recruit for On3. He didn’t receive a star rating or grade out of 100 from ESPN. Nash completed 117 of 213 pass attempts for 1,728 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2017 while rushing 166 times for 1,269 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 2016, he caught 22 passes for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was the 2017 Pacific Coast League Offensive Most Valuable Player and was the Offensive Most Valuable Player of the Irvine News All-City Team. Nash also lettered as a left fielder on the baseball team. His father, Kenny, played wide receiver at San Jose State in 1985 and 1986 and played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1987 after going undrafted. The younger Nash’s uncle, Ryan Smith, played wide receiver at UCLA from 1999 to 2002.

Injuries & Off-Field: Underwent left knee surgery near the end of 2017 following an injury in the CIF Division 9 playoffs, missed five games in 2019 with a right ankle injury

Awards: 2023 Second Team All-Mountain West, 2024 First Team All-Mountain West, 2024 First Team All-American (AFCA, AP, ESPN, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp), 2024 Second Team All-American (Sports Illustrated, The Athletic)

Pros: Background as a QB for trick plays, experience playing in the slot and out wide, new to the position with room to grow, impressive height and weight combo, urgency on short routes, good hesitation moves, tempos routes, enough short-area burst and acceleration to stack press corners at the intermediate level, ankle flexibility, bends through short routes with good definition, surprisingly sharp whip route, shoulder and head fakes at top of routes, stems slot fade outside before breaking across corner’s face on a post, drives off corners at the top of the route, lingers in openings vs. zone, tracks ball well over his shoulder, massive catch radius when leaping fully extended, size to climb the ladder and play above corners, high points the ball well, flashes of strong hands in contested catch scenarios, drags his toes to get two feet down on sideline, sidesteps and jump cuts, enough acceleration to do some YAC damage

Cons: Age, three fumbles in the past two years, underdeveloped release package, benefited from stacks and free releases, concerns about defeating press, inconsistencies vs. press in quick game, struggles to combat mid-route contact, driven into the sideline on outside releases, inconsistent separator against man coverage, burst off the line isn’t immediately threatening, average top speed, limited ability to threaten defenses vertically, vertical threat unlikely to translate to NFL, focus drops and questions about hands, jumps for catches when he doesn’t need to, doesn’t consistently live up to size at catch point, needs to work back to the ball more often, not twitchy or elusive in open field, not a true tackle breaker, lacks home run speed, caught from behind, pulled forward and off stalk blocks, poor form and lack of displacement stalk blocking

Overview: Nash is a converted quarterback with NFL bloodlines and impressive college production. He primarily lined up out wide in 2023 but kicked into the slot for 2024. Nash is one of the older prospects in the draft, but he still has room to grow since he only made the full-time transition to receiver in 2023. He offers a good combination of height and weight, but his 31-inch arms don’t match his frame. Nash displays good urgency in the quick game to get open and keep the offense on schedule. His release package needs to develop to combat press coverage. He benefited from free releases in college and didn’t face a consistent amount of press. Nash uses hesitation moves, route tempo, and mid-route burst to stack corners in man coverage at the intermediate level. His ankle flexibility helps him bend through routes with solid precision, and he runs a surprisingly crisp whip route. Nash uses shoulder and head fakes or pure physicality to separate at the top of the stem. He needs to manipulate leverage more often but already possesses a basic understanding of creating space for himself with his route stem. The California native locates and lingers in holes in zone coverage to provide his quarterback with an open outlet. He needs to incorporate his hands into his releases and use them to battle through mid-route contact. Aggressive cornerbacks push him around too much. Nash generates inconsistent separation against man coverage due to a lack of elite athletic traits. His burst off the line fails to threaten cornerbacks, and his top speed doesn’t generate a reliable vertical threat. Nash lacks the explosiveness and twitch to separate with raw physical tools. He tracks the ball over his shoulder well but suffered from several bad drops on potentially big plays in 2024. Nash lacks a top shelf vertical and ideal arm length but still creates a massive catch radius when he leaps and fully extends. The All-American high points the ball and climbs the ladder to make plays over cornerbacks. His strong hands finish catches through contact. Nash doesn’t approach the catch point with consistent aggression and sometimes fails to maximize his size. His body control and concentration show up on toe-dragging sideline catches. He’s not twitchy or elusive in the open field and lacks the play strength to break tackles. Nash’s acceleration does some damage after the catch, but he’s not going to make many house calls. His background as a mobile quarterback shows up with some sidesteps and jump cuts. Nash is a poor blocker who lacks the form and power to land and sustain stalk blocks. He must show more effort in this area.

Overall, Nash is an old and athletically limited power slot prospect who primarily contributes on a limited number of routes. He projects as a depth piece who could see action in subpackages while he refines his technique and adjusts to NFL physicality. Nash is a reliable contributor who proved his ability to provide value on a high-volume diet. He should gradually earn in-game opportunities.

Role & Scheme: Power slot receiver in an 11-personnel heavy scheme

Round Grade: Fifth Round

Size: 6'2 1/2", 203 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 03-27-25