Puka Nacua quickly established himself as one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the NFL while playing wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams. His fearless mentality pushes his game to another level and terrifies defenses. Under the tutelage of wide receivers coach Eric Yarber, Nacua has found a play-making mentality. He is at his best when beating defenders across the width of the field. That’s the approach that propelled him to a historic rookie season. He ended 2023 with 105 receptions and 1,486 yards, breaking both of the respective NFL records for a rookie.
Before each game, Nacua goes through a strange yet effective pre-play routine that helps him get ready mentally and physically. So he isn’t afraid to request that his own teammates lay some wood on his pads! They start with a soft signal and then escalate in force to six quick strikes. This ritual grounds him and centers him for the action to come. It deepens his aesthetic exploration of the game’s physicality.
He speaks about being the hammer, not the nail,” Yarber said, reflecting Nacua’s predatory playing style.
While Nacua’s energy is visible throughout the week, it’s most notable on game days. He just routinely turns little dump-off short routes into 15-yard explosive gains. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur pointed out a particular play that exemplified Nacua’s skill set, where a route that should have resulted in only three or four yards instead netted 16, showcasing his ability to maximize every opportunity.
Rams head coach Sean McVay even mentioned Nacua as a player who knows how to get open and make the key catch to keep drives alive. Once the ball’s in Nacua’s hands, though, he’s an even more frightening player. “I think the people that would be best able to articulate it would be the ones trying to tackle him,” McVay remarked.
When comparing their predatory receiving skills NFL star Davante Adams said Nacua was “like a pit bull.” He applied that assertion to explain how impossible it is for defenders to contain Nacua once he gets rolling. Nacua, a fifth-round pick, certainly played a physical style of play during his successful collegiate career at BYU. Since coming over to the Rams, that intensity has only intensified.
The Rams plan to be extremely judicious though with Nacua’s practice load. They’re trying to save him from the onslaught of hits to which he’s subjected game after game. Yarber noted, “If we got an eight-play rack, hopefully he gets four plays out of that eight,” indicating a strategic approach to balance rest and performance.
Nacua’s streaking, defying-the-odds competitive fire was molded by battles with his brothers, most notably their fellow NFL-establishment-manipulator, Samson. Sibling rivalry usually meant doubling down on losses of PIG or HORSE, a competition that served to further the spirit of toughening him up in later years. “Being in the car with them and the music, the tone, the intensity and definitely getting hit [by them while getting] out of the car as I was running out there for the football field, a part of that takes me back,” he recalled.
As Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford is well aware, there’s a thin line between pushing to maximize yardage and trying to save your own ass out there. “It’s tough to turn that switch off, to be honest with you,” he said, acknowledging the challenge players face when balancing aggression with safety.
As Nacua approaches a major career achievement, he is only 21 receiving yards away from 3,000 receiving yards in his career. If he accomplishes this milestone Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers, he will tie Justin Jefferson. That would leave him with one of the fewest career games needed to reach that landmark.
In further reflections on his growing influence on the game, Nacua told reporters he looks to play the game with physicality and resilience. And so you just kind of have to be fearless in a way and protect yourself. You can feel the balls and sort of cram in as much as you’re able. Other times, it’s going to be super wild—you’re gonna get injured. It may not be beautiful all the time, but that’s just the journey as he went on to explain, Marketplace Tech
Nacua’s tireless commitment to his craft and desire to constantly evolve and challenge himself is reflected in his treatment of his teammates and coaches as well. He embraces physicality in training and competition, adding, “I don’t want them to treat me like I’m soft, definitely not. For him, his pre-game ritual is his warm-up. It confirms his willingness to absorb the contact that accompanies his role.
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