Who Is Puka Nacua? Get To Know The Record Breaking Rams Rookie

The Los Angeles Rams appear to have unearthed the steal of the 2023 NFL Draft in wideout Puka Nacua, who followed up an amazing debut by setting an NFL record in his second professional game.

Who Is Puka Nacua? Get To Know The Record-Breaking Rams Rookie

Puka Nacua’s 10th catch on Sunday set a rookie record for the most catches in the first two games. His 11th reception gave him more than 100 yards receiving for the second game in a row. But his 12th proved who the BYU fifth-round pick is on the football field.

During the Rams’ 30-23 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, Nacua had 15 receptions for 147 yards. Nacua now has 25 receptions in his first two games.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Nacua has an NFL-high 111 yards after the catch this season, the most by a Rams player in the team’s first two games since wide receiver Cooper Kupp had 146 in 2021. In the previous 15 seasons, he and Kupp are the only Rams wide receivers to have 100 yards in their team’s opening two games.

“He would catch anywhere from a 5- to a 10-yard route and just turn right upfield and on contact would get hit, but then just finds a way to drag a defender or two, another 2 or 3 yards,” Sitake said. “And you add those up on six, seven catches, those are 20 hidden yards that you get from just sheer grit and toughness and all that stuff.

“That’s the epitome of Puka.”

Nacua also became the first rookie to have at least 10 receptions and 100 yards receiving in each of his first two games. In Week 1, he grabbed 10 catches for 119 yards. Nacua’s fantasy roster position increased from 7% to 75% heading into Week 2.

In his first two NFL games, Nacua has looked like a steal. Injuries hindered Nacua’s productivity in college, prompting him to be drafted in the fifth round by the Rams in 2023. With Kupp out early, Nacua has stepped up to earn quarterback Matthew Stafford’s trust.

Before the draft, many scouts and personnel executives told ESPN that Nacua’s skill in disputed ball situations stood out on tape.

Roderick called Nacua “the best I’ve ever seen” at those contested catches, saying he has “a unique ability to be playing at a really high speed and find the ball in flight, and then adjust his body with relationship to where the defender is and come down with it.”

“We’d just throw go routes in games to him, and he didn’t even have to be open,” Roderick said. ” … He’ll just run and lull the defender to sleep, and then, we call it ‘late hands,’ where he’ll put his hands up at the last second where the defender doesn’t have a chance to react to it.”

Nacua’s hard playing style has already taken a toll on his physique. He was listed as out with an oblique injury after the Rams’ opening game of the season. And, while Nacua said he was able to recuperate over the week and “just let it all fly” on Sunday, this isn’t his first time dealing with recuperation.

His injury history was a major factor in his selection in the fifth round of the draft in April.

Nacua fractured his foot during his freshman year at Washington, where he spent two years before moving to BYU. Nacua also contended with lingering problems during the 2022 season, including an ankle issue.

Clavin Johnson set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season with 1,964 in 2012, while Bill Groman set the rookie mark with 1,473 in 1960.

Nacua was anticipated to contend for a roster place as a rookie as a fifth-round choice who didn’t have a very good collegiate career at Washington or BYU. Instead, he appears to be on track for one of the most memorable rookie seasons in NFL history.

 

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