Each offseason, one or two rookies one each team generate buzz among fans and analysts. Puka Nacua seems to be that guy for the Rams this year.
It’s only June and the pads haven’t even come on yet, but Nacua is standing out to his teammates and coaches, which is very encouraging to hear. The fifth-round rookie has made a strong first impression in OTAs, showcasing a skill set that could earn him early playing time this season.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur spoke highly of Nacua last week, saying he “catches the ball really effortlessly,” among other bits of praise. This week, it was Cooper Kupp and Sean McVay’s turn to talk up the rookie.
In Kupp’s brief time watching Nacua so far, the rookie has caught his attention for several reasons. Kupp even described him as “pretty special” and envisions him becoming a “very good player in this league.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty special. I think if he can stay on a good trajectory, he’s going to be a very good football player in this league,” Kupp said. “I love the way that he attacks each day. He’s got a great feel for the game, great feel for leverage, running routes. You come in, you’re running new concepts and things like that. Things that you’ve done before to get open might not fit within the realm of the things that we want to do here, but he’s just transitioned so quickly over understanding what the parameters are that he’s able to work in. He’s got a great feel for attacking leverage, how to stick things, his timing on when he needs to show up for things and he’s asking the right questions too. I think that’s the big thing. He’s asking the right questions and as he gets more reps over and over as he gets to see these things, he’s just going to get better and better. So, I’m really excited about him and the steps that he’s going to be able to take over these next few months.”
More importantly, Nacua has impressed his head coach. The Rams could use a No. 3 receiver after parting ways with Allen Robinson after just one season and Nacua will be in the thick of the competition with Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell.
Based on the way he’s performed in OTAs so far, Nacua will have a good chance to carve out a role early in his career in L.A. McVay can’t help but notice how quickly Nacua has gotten acclimated to the NFL and the Rams offense, confirming the coach’s hope that he’ll be able to contribute early on.
“It’s been really impressive how quickly he’s gotten up to speed,” McVay said. “I think you can’t say enough about Eric Yarber, K.J. Black, Jake Peetz – those guys have done a great job and he’s really conscientious. Matthew (Stafford) has done a great job of really just kind of taking him under his wing and being able to kind of just help give those little nuances, having Cooper back. So he’s smart, he’s conscientious. It’s hard to really compare to anybody because a lot of those guys, whether you talk about Robert (Woods’) first year, Cooper’s rookie year, having (Watkins) but then ended up having Brandin Cooks, there’s been a standard set in that room where there’s been really conscientious players. Even if you go with Josh Reynolds, how quickly Van (Jefferson) has done a great job of grasping the offense. And so, he’s a guy that we’re expecting him to come in, expecting him to be able to contribute and compete. Every spot is going to be earned on this team, but I really like what he’s done and I think it’s a credit to everybody around him and his conscientiousness.”
Nacua still has a long way to go before he’s considered a starter on this team and as McVay said, every spot will be earned. But it’s hard to imagine him getting off to a much better start than he has in OTAs – as early as it is in the process.
