Puka Nacua cycled through 1-on-1 drills while Cooper Kupp watched. The Los Angeles Rams receivers then had a conversation. Nacua told Yahoo Sports
“I’m trying to worry about what I’m doing and he’s talking about knowing what I can get the DB to do,”
“That was the first time I was like, ‘Holy cow, his ability to understand.’ ”
The last pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft is second in the league with 501 receiving yards and first with 39 receptions, just behind Minnesota Vikings standout Justin Jefferson. Through four games, Nacua has broken the NFL rookie record for receiving yards and receptions. He is also just the second player in NFL history to have three games with 100-plus receiving yards.
Give Kupp some preparation credit for his advice on tempo and body control, and give Nacua entire credit for the execution of this production.
How the Rams acquired Puka Nacua and set him up for success right away
Because the 15-year veteran does not grant or revoke faith on a single play, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford claims he is unable to pinpoint the exact time Nacua won his trust.
Nacua, however, is most moved by the one play in which Stafford didn’t lose faith in him. In the first period of the Rams’ season-opening game against the Seattle Seahawks, Stafford first targeted him on an under route.
Stafford threw a decent ball, and Nacua went the depth of his route before cutting, according to Nacua, “but we just weren’t on the same page.” Nacua fumbled the handoff. To the amazement of the youngster, Stafford promised to go after him again shortly.
10 receptions. 119 yards. Roll the @AsapPuka highlights. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/3PGJi3c6V8
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 11, 2023
Nacua has now received a league-high 52 passes from McVay and Stafford in the past four weeks, the most recent of which came on Sunday in overtime against the Indianapolis Colts when Nacua scored the game-winning touchdown.
The NFL is starting to understand what Junior Adams, Nacua’s college receivers coach at Washington, claims he discovered during a tip drill during Nacua’s first season: “The ball always found him.”