The Rams moved Puka Nacua into a new receiver role in Week 1 and the third-year wideout was as good as ever, if not better. He is the fifth round pick that keeps on giving.
Nacua played out of the slot position on a career-high 64% of his routes against the Houston Texans, a byproduct of L.A. signing Davante Adams. He finished with 10 catches for 130 yards and did so in only 38 snaps, per J.B. Long of Rams media:
Nacua’s 130 yards is the sixth-best total of his regular season career, his 13th game with over 100 yards in barely more than two years. It is his fifth career game with double-digit receptions.
Whether he’s playing next to Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, or nobody significant, whether he’s an X, Z, or Y, Puka Nacua has proven to be one of the top receivers in the NFL.
Nacua added 51 yards after the catch, per Next Gen Stats:
The Rams landed a very special player out of BYU in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. His 13 games with 100 yards is tied as the most by anyone since he entered the league and that’s even with Nacua missing time due to injury.
That’s one thing that L.A. has to keep in mind.
Nacua’s greatest asset is also his kryptonite; he’s a fearless receiver who will sell out his body and play physical in order to make any play. That’s awesome and it’s what makes him great, but as we’ve already seen this season, Nacua’s physical style can also cause him to miss playing time. The Rams will need to continue to share the ball, whether that’s more targets to Adams, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, or, and here’s a weird idea, using that player who they spent $10 million on this year.
Nacua has been the Rams slot player instead and he’s already making the most of it.
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