Rams News: Sean McVay Thinks Rookie Draftee Could Have Puka Nacua-Esque Impact on LA

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and now teams will begin to evaluate their rookie talent. The hope is that most can make an impact on the team immediately, though some players take a bit longer to develop. One player who could be immediately impactful is Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington.

Head coach Sean McVay explained that the team sees a lot of promise in Whittington. and could develop into providing an almost Puka Nacua-like impact. Granted, Nacua's rookie season was sensational, but that does not mean that another rookie can also blow past his record.

McVay spoke to Sarah Barshop of ESPN and revealed what Whittington could do as a rookie on the Rams' loaded wide receiver game.

According to Barshop, "And while it would be hard to imagine Whittington playing the role that Nacua did as a rookie, coach Sean McVay thinks the former Longhorn could make an impact this season. McVay praised Whittington's versatility as a receiver and called him 'A core special teams guy,' saying, '[he] sounds like a really smart player that can do a lot of different things, and that's really valuable for us.'"

Naturally, Whittington will need to work his way up to become a WR1 or WR2, but it appears his path might already have been started. Whittington received praise from both head coach and general manager, as Les Snead also added, "He knew all three positions, was willing to be the third, the fourth, played all the core on special teams," Snead said. "So it's kind of one of those key core guys that you draft with a vision and more than likely has a role here."

Rookies already face an uphill battle when it comes to landing a spot on the 53-man roster when training camp and preseason have wrapped up, but rookies making themselves indispensable is always great.

Should Whittington go off on special teams, McVay might want to see what he can do in a more substantial role catching passes from Matthew Stafford.

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