When was Puka Nacua drafted?

Puka Nacua is a rookie wide receiver who plays American football for the Los Angeles Rams. Once the 2023 NFL season got underway in mid-September, within the first three weeks, Nacua started making headlines in the game with his play. Despite being just a rookie, he was already putting up some amazing numbers and fit in well with the Rams system. He was introduced to the sport by his father at a young age. But, as life would have it, his father passed away when he was only 11 years old; however, the fire that his father had instilled in him for the game continued burning long after. As Nacua’s brothers recall, after the passing of their father, Puka would sit hours on end in front of the TV watching football games.

Despite all the love and passion Nacua felt for the game of football, his journey to the top was not as easy as he would have liked. For starters, he got off to slower starts in the initial years of both his high school and college football programs. And while he had a pretty decent production in the NFL Combine, his athleticism score dragged him down, making him a potential seventh-round pick.

Puka Nacua's Draft

Nacua entered the 2023 NFL Draft, where he was selected in the fifth round with the 177th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams. He was also the 20th wide receiver to be taken off the board amongst a total of 33 that were drafted. While Nacua was a standout receiver in high school, he suffered from a few injuries, and his NFL Combine results made several scouts turn their attention to other receivers in the class. At the Combine, his 40-yard dash, which was recorded at 4.57 seconds, was relatively slow and his athleticism score was well below par.

Though being touted as a late sixth-round or a seventh-round draft pick, the Rams selected him in the fifth round as the 20th wide receiver off the board. The first receiver from the 2023 NFL Draft was Jaxon Smith-Njigba, taken by the Seattle Seahawks. Other players who have done well in their rookie year are number 2 overall, quarterback C.J. Stroud, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, cornerback Devon Witherspoon, tight end Sam Laporta, and more.

Puka Nacua's College

Nacua had a mixed college career in the four years he spent in college. For the first two years, he went to the University of Washington and played for the Washington Huskies football team. In his first year, he got very limited play time, resulting in just seven receptions for over 160 receiving yards and a couple of touchdowns. Then, his sophomore season was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In only 3 games, Nacua had just over 150 receiving yards and a solitary touchdown.

Before the start of his junior season, Nacua transferred to BYU, returning to his home state of Utah as he finished his last two years of college playing for the BYU Cougars. With the Cougars, Nacua suddenly got back to his best and had a breakthrough year, catching 43 passes for 805 yards while putting up 6 receiving touchdowns. In his senior year, he missed three games due to a knee injury but still had over 600 receiving yards, 209 receiving yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns.

Puka Nacua's NFL Journey

Entering the NFL with some of the least expectations on his shoulders, Nacua got off to a blistering start for the Rams. He was given a more important role on the roster as the Rams WR1, Cooper Kupp, was out for the first three games with an injury. Nacua embraced this opportunity and had over 100 receiving yards in the first three of his four games. Nacua has easily been the best wide receiver amongst all rookie receivers in the 2023 NFL season. He has set three NFL rookie records for a rookie receiver, which are as follows:

• Most receiving yards in a rookie season with 1,486 receiving yards.

• Most receptions in a rookie season with 105 catches.

• Most receptions in a rookie game with 15 catches against the San Francisco 49ers.

• Most receiving yards by a rookie in a playoff game with 181.

Nacua ruptured his right knee's bursa sac in August while practicing for the 2024 NFL season. Nacua was placed on a week-to-week practice schedule after the injury and didn't resume until the end of August. He got cleared to play in September, and in a game against the Detroit Lions, he carried the ball once for seven yards and caught four passes for 35 yards in the Rams' season-opening 26-20 loss. However, Nacua left the game in the second quarter and did not come back. Nacua missed the following four weeks after it was determined that he had a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) sprain and was then placed on injured reserve.