Could Rams’ Puka Nacua Be All-Pro in Rookie Season?
Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua will need a monster performance in Week 18 to usurp Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, and even that may not be enough. But could Nacua be the rare rookie who is a First-Team All-Pro selection at his position?
There are three First-Team All-Pro receiver slots, and two of them appear to be cemented. Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins has 112 catches for 1,717 yards and 12 touchdowns, which will earn the future Hall of Famer his fifth All-Pro nod.
Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys had a monster performance in a Week 17 win over the Detroit Lions, and now has 122 receptions for 1,651 yards and 10 touchdowns, which will get him selected as well.
The third spot, at least to some degree, is still open.
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Eagles receiver A.J. Brown appeared to be a lock earlier in the year, . But since setting a new NFL record with six consecutive games with 125 or more receiving yards, Brown only has one 100+ receiving yard performance across eight games. With 105 catches for 1,447 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, . But a second-half collapse by the Eagles and a dip in his production has left the door open for someone else like Nacua.
Granted, the Eagles still have something to play for in Week 18, which may mean Brown puts up good enough numbers to lock down the third spot. And if it's not Brown, there are other receivers besides Nacua who should be considered for the third All-Pro spot. Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions, Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers and D.J. Moore of the Chicago Bears all deserve hard looks as well.
But Nacua helped the Rams to overcome the loss of former Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp for the first four games of the season, and now has consecutive games of 115+ receiving yards as the campaign winds down. His five touchdowns might not jump off the page, but Nacua has 101 receptions for 1,445 yards, so he's certainly worthy of a long look.
Nacua, though, does have a few things working against him.
First of all, the Rams have clinched a postseason spot already, and they will rest quarterback Matthew Stafford -- among others -- in Week 18. Even if Nacua plays, he'll be doing so with Carson Wentz under center. It's also possible the Rams are cautious in how much they use the star rookie in a game that will only matter to determine whether the Rams are the six or seven seed in the NFC playoffs.
Secondly, neither Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals or Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings weren't First-Team All-Pros in their tremendous rookie seasons. So there's recent evidence to suggest it's not an honor that a rookie is likely to win, especially if there's a 50-50 decision to be made against a veteran. Maybe some voters will feel guilty about voting for Stroud over Nacua for Offensive Rookie of the Year and throw Nacua a vote for All-Pro to make up for it. That isn't what played out for Jefferson, though, even when he put up a monster rookie season and finished second to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The most likely scenario is that Nacua will finish second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to Stroud, and have to settle for a Second-Team All-Pro selection. While somewhat disappointing, that would still be an incredible outcome for a fifth-round pick.
