The Los Angeles Rams don’t put a lot of stock in the 40-yard dash when evaluating draft prospects, which has helped them land players such as Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. That’s not to say either player is slow. They just didn’t test well in the 40, so they were likely drafted a little bit later than they should have been.
Nacua has proved multiple times that his 4.57 was not an indication of his actual game speed, doing so again on Sunday in the Rams’ win over the Browns. According to Next Gen Stats, Nacua joined Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel as the only players in the NFL this season to hit 20 mph on a catch and a carry in one game.
Puka Nacua became the 3rd player this season to reach 20+ mph on both a carry & reception in a single game (Tyreek Hill in Week 12, Deebo Samuel in Week 13).
Nacua is the first rookie to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards by Week 13 since Justin Jefferson.#CLEvsLAR | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/E79v9XMpO5
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 4, 2023
Nacua was a big reason the Rams won Sunday’s game, hauling in four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing twice for 34 yards. He had a 45-yard run called back due to holding, too.
On his 70-yard touchdown catch, he hit 21.35 mph, which is the 19th-fastest speed by a ball carrier this season.
Not only is Nacua as tough as they come at wide receiver, but he’s got more juice than his 4.57 40 time would indicate.
