Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, there were few prospects at the wide receiver position who could boast statistics on par with San Jose State University’s Nick Nash. Despite spending his first three seasons as a quarterback, Nash made the most of his 26 games as a true wide receiver, registering 158 catches for 2,172 yards and 25 touchdowns. Now that the draft has come and gone without Nash being selected, the Falcons have signed the record-setting UDFA to fill a position of need in what could be the “biggest steal of spring,” according to Lucca Mazzie of Sports Illustrated’s G5 Football Daily, covering Group of 5 college football teams.
Nash Named Atlanta’s Most Exciting 2025 UDFA Addition
Bleacher Report‘s Brent Sobleski listed each team’s most exciting undrafted free agent addition, writing that there were likely two factors that led to record-setting UDFA wide receiver Nick Nash going undrafted “despite being one of the class’ most productive prospects.”
Sobleski notes that Nash was among the oldest prospects to enter the draft this April, as he will turn 26 in July before the start of his rookie season.
“He’s not necessarily a late-bloomer, at least in a traditional sense,” writes Sobleski. “He actually converted to wide receiver after four seasons as a quarterback. Despite his late-career position change, he flourished.”
Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, ESPN‘s Adam Rittenberg spoke to coaches in each power conference and several Group of 5 schools, looking for players “rated outside the top 100 prospects according to Scouts Inc.” who could be sleeper picks toward the end of Day 2 and into Day 3 of the draft.
An anonymous Mountain West coach listed Nash as a sleeper, writing that he thinks Nash is “a Pro Bowl receiver.”
“Why he hasn’t gotten even more buzz is honestly frustrating to me,” said a Mountain West coach, according to Rittenberg. “I honestly think he’s a Pro Bowl receiver. We’ve played a lot of good receivers, and he’s one of the best ones we’ve ever gone against. We went into the game with a really good plan, and he just went to work, man. I think the world of Nick Nash.”
Nash Won Receiving ‘Triple Crown’ in 2024
Nash went up against some stiff competition in this year’s wide receiver class, including Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Jayden Higgins, and more. But, he outshined all of them statistically during the regular season and became just the fourth player to earn the receiving triple crown by leading the country in receptions (104), receiving yards (1,382) and receiving touchdowns (16).
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski also points out that Nash doesn’t have the “athletic profile” of other elite rookie receivers, but he was crafty enough to utilize the skills in his arsenal, including “excellent body control, high-pointing the football, understanding of coverages and always plucking the ball out of the air with strong hands.”
“Sometimes, a receiver being reliable, available and consistent is all he needs to make a roster and become a contributor because the quarterback trusts him,” writes Sobleski.
“He’s a slot receiver and savvy route runner who is quicker than fast,” wrote ESPN NFL Draft analyst Steve Muench in his pre-draft profile of Nash. “Nash sets up defensive backs with his stem, sinks his hips at the top of routes, changes speeds well and makes it harder for corners to jump his routes with the way he flattens out. He can make the first defender miss and he runs hard after the catch.”
Falcons’ Record-Setting UDFA Could Be ‘Biggest Steal of Spring’