Puka Nacua has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a starter for the Rams this year, but outside of Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson, none of Los Angeles’ wideouts are locked into starting roles. The third spot will be a battle between Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, Nacua and maybe even Lance McCutcheon.
Nacua will have to earn his snaps as a rookie but PFF’s Gordon McGuinness likes his fit with the Rams. McGuinness ranked Nacua 10th on his list of the rookie receivers who landed in the best situations this year.
The lowest-drafted receiver to crack the top 10, Nacua has to get by one of Van Jefferson (90 career receptions) or Ben Skowronek (50 career receptions) to be a top-three receiver in this offense alongside Cooper Kupp, but even WR6 in this offense saw more than 31 targets in 2022. Nacua’s 3.53 yards per route run was the second-highest mark in college football last year, as was his 90.1 PFF receiving grade.
The Rams selected Nacua in the fifth round out of BYU, taking him 177th overall in the draft this year. He’s not a rare athlete or a burner, but he does the dirty work and gets open for his quarterback, also making defenders miss after the catch.
In the last two years at BYU, he caught 91 passes for 1,430 yards and 11 touchdowns, also rushing for 357 yards and five touchdowns. He’ll be a versatile receiver for the Rams, similar to the way Robert Woods was.
