Rams Star Puka Nacua Lands in Top 10 of Hypothetical Redraft
The Los Angeles Rams selected wide receiver Puka Nacua out of BYU with the very last pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. And in hindsight, many would say that was the steal of the draft.
The star receiver finished the season fourth in receiving yards and was a huge reason why the Rams made it to the playoffs, as he stepped up big when the team needed him. A lot of teams would probably like a redo in order to draft Nacua higher, and that's exactly what Bleacher Report's David Kenyon does in a recent article.
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Kenyon redrafted the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft ahead of the NFC and AFC Championship games, and the jump that Nacua took from the real draft to Kenyon's needs to be seen to be believed. He rose all the way up from the 177th pick in the draft to the 10th pick in Kenyon's draft, going to the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Nacua, a fifth-round choice, set rookie records with 105 catches and 1,486 yards, adding six scores," Kenyon writes. "Perhaps his presence alone wouldn't have sparked a reeling offense, but Philly received near-zero production from its slot receivers in 2023."
The entire league, not just the Eagles, would have been lucky if they had drafted Nacua, as he would be a bright spot on any team and would make an immediate impact, just like he did with the Rams.
But he fell to the Rams all the way in the back of the fifth round, and the team knows that they got a stud. Nacua looks like he is going to be a big part of what the Rams are looking to do in the future, and he will be a cornerstone of this offense from now on.
