One-Time Husky Puka Nacua Is the Talk of the NFL

Through two weeks of the NFL season, few stories have been bigger than the emergence of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. The fifth-round pick from BYU and previously the University of Washington has been nothing short of spectacular with 25 catches for 266 yards on a mind-boggling 35 targets.

The receiver has been a godsend for fantasy football players and his 15-catch performance on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers broke a long-standing NFL record. Nacua's 25 catches in his first two games surpassed Earl Cooper's standard of 19, which had stood for 43 years.

Puka Nacua is ALWAYS OPEN..

He has been a SHINING STAR early in this NFL season #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/mYySvI7Nz6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 18, 2023

But that's not all to the Nacua story. In 2018, he was a 4-star recruit from Provo, Utah, who originally committed to USC but backed off his pledge. On national signing day in 2019, he announced his commitment to the Chris Petersen-led Washington Huskies.

Once he arrived on campus, it was clear that the receiver was talented enough to play right away. He appeared in eight games and came up with 7 catches for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns before suffering a broken foot that ended his season.

Admittedly considering an offseason transfer to play at home, he returned to Washington in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and got on the field in three of the team's four games, totaling 9 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown.

Following that season, the budding star finally left and enrolled at BYU so he could be closer to his family.

"He's the epitome of what we want to be as Rams. I love Puka Nacua." pic.twitter.com/Sh1LCGCK0J
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 18, 2023

“It definitely was not how I planned things out in my head for my future here at UW," Nacua said in an interview with 950 KJR following his transfer. "But some family issues came up and some stuff with my family where I know I need to be there to support my family and help them out in the best way. That’s how I came to my conclusion in entering the portal.”

During his two years with the Cougars, he accumulated 1,430 yards on 91 catches while finding the end zone 16 times — 11 through the air and 5 on the ground.

So why did the new favorite target for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford fall to the fifth round?

Nacua struggled with injuries during his time in college and his 4.57 40-yard dash at his pro day didn't turn any heads either. But his hands certainly weren't overlooked and he was selected by the Rams with the 177th overall pick in the last April's NFL draft.

Los Angeles was a perfect landing spot for Nacua because coach Sean McVay's offense helped unlock wide receiver Cooper Kupp's full potential and turned the former Eastern Washington player into an All-Pro in 2020.

While Nacua might not have the same ceiling, he could put up some impressive numbers if he continues to see 39 percent of his team's targets like he has so far this season.

Even with Kupp set to return from the injured reserve list in Week 5, Nacua has solidified a role for himself with the Rams for the foreseeable future.

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