Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is in the midst of a historic rookie season that no one could have seen coming.
The Rams drafted Nacua in the fifth round out of BYU and with star wide receiver Cooper Kupp dealing with an injury to begin the season, the rookie burst onto the scene immediately in Week 1.
Nacua has been able to maintain his production throughout the court of the season, already breaking every Rams rookie receiving record and within reach of all of the NFL rookie receiving records as well.
Perhaps Nacua’s best performance is his most recent one as he had nine receptions for a career-high 164 yards and a touchdown while also adding two carries for 16 yards in the Rams’ Thursday Night Football victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 16.
Nacua was recognized for his stellar week by being named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week, the first such honor of his career. Nacua was also given another award though, one he’s much more familiar with, as he was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season:
Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR-TIME Rookie of the Week! 🥇@AsapPuka x @pepsi pic.twitter.com/eMlZmWp0RQ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 28, 2023
This is yet another honor to add to Nacua’s historic rookie season that is not yet complete. Overall in 15 games, Nacua has hauled in 96 catches for 1,327 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and eighth in receptions, already establishing himself as one of the best in the league.
Nacua is 129 yards away from passing Ja’Marr Chase for the most receiving yards in a season by a rookie since 1960 and is 147 yards away from the all-time record. He is six catches away from surpassing Anquan Boldin’s all-time record of 101 receptions in a rookie campaign.
Rams’ Puka Nacua has Sean McVay’s vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year
Given everything he has accomplished this season, the only question now for Nacua is whether he will be named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year when the campaign comes to an end.
It would be hard to deny Nacua of the award given all the records he has broken, although Houston Texans star C.J. Stroud is having a phenomenal rookie season in his own right and is doing it at quarterback, the most important position in the league.
While Rams head coach Sean McVay recognized the type of season that Stroud is having for the Texans and how he would be a worthy winner of Offensive Rookie of the Year, he believes that Nacua has earned his place in that conversation and would receive his vote if he had one.
