Nacua

InvaderRam wrote:

I thought Puka Nacua was DANI DANI ROJAS!

I don’t know the show so the reference was lost on me till I looked it up.

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Rams rookie star Puka Nacua plays with a very physical style. Is it sustainable?

…

Rams get lots of bang, Puka Nacua lots of bruises, from receiver’s painstaking play

GARY KLEIN

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2023-11-23/rams-puka-nacua-injuries-receiver-rookie-season

Puka Nacua has learned valuable lessons during his record-setting rookie season, which has featured dozens of catches — and corresponding hits absorbed and delivered.

How does the Rams receiver deal with the sometimes-painful days after?

“Motion is lotion,” Nacua said.

Nacua’s physical playing style, and the weekly aftermath, supplied him with a new appreciation for cold tubs and other rehabilitative resources. But the best way to play through bumps and bruises, he said, is to not sit still, even on days off.

“Movement does help,” Nacua said.

Despite injured ankle, Rams’ Cooper Kupp might be able to play Sunday at Arizona
Nov. 20, 2023

Early in the season, with star receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury, Nacua rocketed to the top of the NFL receiving list. Quarterback Matthew Stafford looked for Nacua early and often, and the fifth-round draft pick produced three 100-yard receiving efforts in his first four games.

Nacua’s statistical performances cooled upon Kupp’s return, but with 69 catches he ranks ninth in the NFL. His 987 yards rank sixth.

Kupp did not practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury suffered during Sunday’s 17-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, a win that ended a three-game losing streak and improved the Rams’ record to 4-6. If Kupp does not play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, Nacua could again become the undisputed go-to receiver.

The question is how long can the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Nacua endure his physical playing style?

This week he was nursing a shoulder issue, the latest byproduct of his physical play.

“I love playing the game that way,” he said. “That’s how I was raised. But it definitely has its pros and cons.”

Nacua, as with many rookies, already has completed more than the equivalent of a college season. The Rams played three preseason games and have played 10 regular-season games. They will play at least seven more, with the playoffs also still a possibility.

Collisions in the NFL are “way different” than in college, said Nacua, who played at Washington and Brigham Young.

“Just the consistency of them,” Nacua said. “I definitely wasn’t blocking defensive ends in college. As much as I think I was a physical player, there’s no chance they were asking me to block the Nick Bosas of the world and stuff like that.

“It’s definitely been a little different.”

Nacua, 22, has embraced the role, and the physical presence he brings to the offense is “a tremendous asset and value,” coach Sean McVay said. But it also presents a challenge: How does he not curb Nacua’s style while being cognizant of keeping him physically sound for the entire season?

“I don’t have the answer quite yet,” McVay said. “You want to continue to allow his greatest traits to come to life, but be smart about how that’s reflected. Now, he’s delivering a lot of punishment himself, but that takes a toll on you.

“I’ve been really impressed with his ability to be a pro about getting his body turned over week in and week out.”

Nacua “loves having the ball in his hands” and scoring touchdowns, and also “loves the physical contact aspect,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. When LaFleur watches replays of the games, he is struck by the close-ups of Nacua.

“His face looks like he’s in a certain zone that not a lot of people can get into,” LaFleur said.

Last Sunday, the cameras found Nacua after he caught a second-quarter touchdown pass, and after using second effort on a jet sweep to pick up a first down during the game-winning drive.

For a rookie, Nacua is “about as comfortable as I’ve ever seen somebody,” Stafford said. The 15th-year pro does not want Nacua to change his physical play and tone-setting ways.

“As he gets more and more comfortable in the game, he’ll find his opportunities to try to stay up on his feet,” Stafford said, adding, “I’m sure his body feels not great on certain days, but he’s been able to show up for us, and that’s huge.”

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2023/12/15/rams-sean-mcvay-puka-nacua-draft-les-snead/?taid=657eb898b8d6bc0001431d13&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

There was no bigger steal in the NFL draft this year than Puka Nacua. As a fifth-round pick, he’s already turned in an 1,100-yard season and still has four games remaining, putting him in striking distance of the single-season rookie receiving record.

The Rams selected him with the third of their three fifth-round picks, the final selection in Round 5 at No. 177 overall. Though they clearly liked Nacua more than the other 31 teams, they very easily could’ve missed out on the rookie sensation.

Needless to say, Sean McVay wouldn’t have been a very happy camper if that happened. He joked on Friday that he might’ve choked out Les Snead if the Rams didn’t draft Nacua when they had.

“When it was getting down to it, I might’ve choked Les out if we had missed out on Puka when we were waiting so long to be able to take him,” McVay said with a smile. “But he’s a stud and we’re really grateful to have him.”

Nacua was injured often in college, which McVay admits was “maybe a reason he was available when he was” in the fifth round. Had Nacua put together a healthy career in college, he might’ve gone much sooner because there was a lot to like about his game.

“The toughness, the aggressive hands, just the competitor,” McVay said. “And you could see with a lot of the different things he was asked to do, the football acumen and IQ, you had to guess was really high before you even talked to him based on the versatility of his game.”

InvaderRam wrote:

man. if the rams have a knack for finding wrs in the lower rounds (see kupp and nacua). and defensive backs… well that’s a good knack to have. hahahaha.

Actually if you list all the great Rams receivers from 1970s on, only 1 was a 1st rounder (Holt). Ellard and Bruce were 2nd rounders, as was Anderson. Harold Jackson was a 12th rounder.

In the deeper past, a couple of great Rams WRs were 1st rounders: Hirsch and Snow.

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