Puka Nacua has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL since his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.
Nacua hauled in 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns that year en route to Pro Bowl honors. He followed that up by catching 79 passes for 990 yards and three touchdowns in only 11 games last season because of a knee injury.
Nacua has put up impressive numbers in his young career so far but wants to keep getting better every year, which is a testament to his work ethic and dedication.
During an appearance on “Games with Names,” Nacua said he is focused on improving his short-area quickness with former Rams teammate Cooper Kupp this offseason:
“My short-area quickness is definitely something we’ve been working with Coop (Cooper Kupp), and when we do some of our conditioning stuff, it’s not necessarily – yeah, we have our sprint days where we’re doing some of that stuff, but also it being like, on Tuesdays, when we do some of our conditioning stuff, we’re here in our box, we’re working our releases. We’ve got the cones, these are your cutoff marks, quick feet or it’s working a one-two release, get skinny and then this is our box, it can only work in this area.”
Nacua noted that he always tries to create separation from the defender so he can make Matthew Stafford’s job easier when throwing in his direction:
“This out route’s going to get thrown 10 times out of 10, because in the short-area quickness, when I get to my shoulder here and I’m at the top of the route, I’m one-two-ing it and I’m winning. Short-area quickness, that also involves being at the line of scrimmage, but especially once we get into the top of the route, I need to separate at the top. The job as the receiver is to catch the ball no matter what, but also being like, alright, now if I can make my quarterback’s job even easier, man, the success we could have if he doesn’t have to pinpoint it, to put it to one spot, throw it in the area and I’ll come down with it.”
Nacua has already shown flashes of greatness and if he can consistently win at the line next season, there is no telling how effective he can be in the Rams offense.
Kevin Demoff excited about Rams’ future in Los Angeles
The 2025 season will mark the Rams’ 10th in Los Angeles and they have already been quite successful since returning to Southern California.
Rams president Kevin Demoff recently said that he believes the organization’s best years are still to come, citing a talented roster and elite coaching staff.
