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AROUND THE SHIELD — Puka Nacua went from BYU wide receiver to record-setting NFL rookie to his first-ever Pro Bowl roster in less than a year.
What a year it's been for the former Orem High standout drafted in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Rams, who will be joined by six other former high school and college football players from the state of Utah on the roster of the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, the league announced Wednesday following a combined vote of fans, coaches and players.
Nacua is one of six players with ties to Utah on the NFC's roster, joining fellow BYU alum Fred Warner — one of a league-high nine players form the San Francisco 49ers. The duo are joined by former Desert Hills offensive tackle Penei Sewell (Detroit), Utah State middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (Seattle), Utah defensive back Jaylon Johnson (Chicago) and Weber State return specialist Rasheed Shahid (New Orleans) from the NFC.
Former Southern Utah standout safety Miles Killebrew was named to the AFC roster as a special-teams ace.
Here's a brief look at each player with ties to Utah:
- Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: In a career renaissance for the 33-year-old native of Ontario, California, Wagner will make his ninth appearance on a Pro Bowl roster after totaling 150 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three passes defended in his return to the Seahawks after a year with the Los Angeles Rams. It's the second time in three years that Wagner has topped 150 tackles, and third time in his career.
- Fred Warner, LB, BYU: A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, Warner posted the second-most tackles of his six-year NFL career with 120, including 70 solo stops. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound middle linebacker also had 2.5 sack and four interceptions for San Francisco, which clinched the NFC's top seed in the playoffs with one game remaining in the regular season.
- Penei Sewell, OT, Desert Hills: A native of Malaeimi, American Samoa, the St. George product was selected to his second Pro Bowl after winning the Pac-12's Morris Trophy at Oregon and being named a unanimous All-American in 2019. Sewell was selected with the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and has started all 49 games of his NFL career.
- Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah: A former second-round pick in 2020, Johnson started all 14 games with the Bears in 2023 while tying for the team lead with a career-high four interceptions, 36 tackles and 10 pass breakups.
- Puka Nacua, WR, BYU/Orem High: The younger brother of former NFL players Kai and Samson Nacua burst on the scene with the Los Angeles Rams, setting rookie records for receiving yards and receptions. A candidate for offensive rookie of the year, Nacua has 1,445 yards on the season, just 29 yards shy of former Houston Oilers receiver Bill Groman's all-time rookie record set in 1960.
- Rashid Shaheed, RS, Weber State: Originally signed by New Orleans after the 2022 NFL draft, Shaheed ranks second in the NFC and third in the NFL in punt return average (14.0), and is the fourth Saints player to be selected to the Pro Bowl as a returner in joining Tyrone Hughes (1993), Michael Lewis (2002) and Deonte Harris (2019). On offense, he also totaled 654 yards and four touchdowns on 43 catches and rushed seven times for 37 yards for 1,396 all-purpose yards — the ninth-best mark in the NFL.
- Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah: Selected as a special-teamer, Killebrew makes his first Pro Bowl roster after leading the Steelers in special-teams tackles with 13, including 11 solo stops. Since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2021, the former fourth-round draft pick from Henderson, Nevada, has blocked three of his four career punts.
The 2024 Pro Bowl will be held Sunday, Feb. 4 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, part of a made-for-television weekend and fan fest that will include a skills challenge and flag football game coached by NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning.
For a look at the NFC's roster for the Pro Bowl, as well as the roster from the AFC, visit NFL.com.
