Stu Jackson Rams @StuJRams
OC Mike LaFleur on rookie WR Puka Nacua: "He's a good-sized kid, he's got a good frame to him. He catches the ball really effortlessly, he can stay grounded through the catch. and so he's doing a good job with it. Particularly moving him around quite a bit... (1/2)
Stu Jackson @StuJRams
... not babying him at all with the motions and the alignments and stuff like that. So he's doing a good job."
LaFleur said you can tell by looking into young players' eyes when they're in the huddle who's "swimming" and who isn't. Nacua has a calm demeanor, fitting in nicely.
Kent Lee Platte @MathBomb
Puka Nacua is a WR prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 5.17 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1474 out of 3048 WR from 1987 to 2023. ras.football/ras-informatio…
NFL Beat Writers @32BeatWriters
“Puka Nacua making an impression: The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Nacua is playing all three receiver positions, showing a good grasp on the playbook.
With Cooper Kupp and Ben Skorwonek absent from on-field workouts, Nacua is positioned to compete for a role during training camp.”
Stu Jackson @StuJJackson
Rams HC Sean McVay on rookie WR Puka Nacua:
"It's been really impressive how quickly he's gotten up to speed."
Cooper Kupp also praised Naqua for his ability to quickly process info, and said the biggest thing is that Naqua is asking the right questions as he's learning.
Rams coach Sean McVay said of rookie WR Puka Nacua: "It’s been really impressive, how quickly he has gotten up to speed ... He’s really conscientious.”
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that Nacua "has stood out in each of the three practices ... because of his significant workload ... as well as the plays he has made." With a wideout depth chart of Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Ben Skowronek ahead of him, there's certainly space for Nacua to grab a real role on this depth chart next to Kupp if he impresses the right people. He's probably only in late-round flier territory for fantasy purposes right now, but he's a name to keep an eye on as we head to training camp.
SOURCE: The Athletic
Jun 8, 2023 at 2:41 PM ET
Rams coach Sean McVay said of rookie WR Puka Nacua: "It’s been really impressive, how quickly he has gotten up to speed ... He’s really conscientious.”
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that Nacua "has stood out in each of the three practices ... because of his significant workload ... as well as the plays he has made." With a wideout depth chart of Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Ben Skowronek ahead of him, there's certainly space for Nacua to grab a real role on this depth chart next to Kupp if he impresses the right people. He's probably only in late-round flier territory for fantasy purposes right now, but he's a name to keep an eye on as we head to training camp.
SOURCE: The Athletic
Jun 8, 2023 at 2:41 PM ET
I don't recall him getting any buzz prior to the draft. Why is that? Or did I just miss it?
NFL Beat Writers @32BeatWriters
McVay on Puka Nacua: "He's a guy that we're expecting him to come in, expecting him to be able to contribute and compete. Every spot is going to be earned on this team, but I really like what he's done and I think it's a credit to everybody around him and his conscientiousness."
Stu Jackson @StuJRams
Two days into training camp, very apparent the Rams are continuing to test and give big workload to rookie WR Puka Nacua just as they did during OTAs and minicamp.
Stu Jackson @StuJRams
I’ve counted at least three times this practice where Puka Nacua has shown strong, reliable hands catching passes from Matthew Stafford
Stu Jackson @StuJRams
Matthew Stafford with the tight-window completion to Puka Nacua near the sideline during 11-on-11, with Nacua making an equally impressive catch with two defenders nearby
Stu Jackson
.@RamsNFL teammates and coaches praised rookie WR Puka Nacua this spring for his ability to process information and translate to field. Loved the insight he shared on Inside Rams Camp today about his to approach to doing so:
Full show w/ @Camwin11 – youtu.be/NJJCD2x61xk
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reports Puka Nacua has “been in the mix often since OTAs began.”
Rodrigue has labeled the fifth-rounder one of Rams camp’s “risers.” Per Rodrigue, “coaches and personnel people are excited to see if his touted yards-after-catch ability manifests when defenders are making real contact with him.” Something of a drum beat player since the spring, Nacua could command a non-trivial amount of targets in this paper-thin skill corps.
Stu Jackson
Sean McVay on Puka Nacua:
"You can see he's physical, tough, no fear. He's a guy that has great, aggressive hands. He's doing a great job. I'm a huge fan of him."
Ruh Roh Raggy.
Stu Jackson
Rams OC Mike LaFleur on WR Puka Nacua's performance vs. Chargers:
"It's like any rookie, as comfortable as they might be, that's their first game. And I thought, just within a series or two, Matthew (Stafford) and I were talking about it today, just how much he settled in."
Did not record a stat, correct.Did he play at all tonight? Didn’t see him in the stat line at all. if he did play, who did he run with?
And Atwell has looked pretty mediocre every time I’ve seen him.Rams coach Sean McVay said he expects WR Puka Nacua to be “an immediate contributor.”
Nacua started the Rams’ preseason opener before resting the last two weeks. With Cooper Kupp (hamstring) dealing with setbacks, the fifth-round rookie projects to open the year as the Rams’ WR2 and likely Week 1 starter. The Rams plan to go with a three-wide set of Van Jefferson, Nacua, and TuTu Atwell while Kupp is out.
Benched Breece Hall and started this guy. My last-minute switches never work, so Hall should have a good game.Switched for a hail mary. I chose Reed over Puka. It looks like that was a fatal error. Or at least to this point. Puka's hands look really good. The route running looks crisp.
Puka Nacua caught 10-of-15 targets for 119 yards in the Rams’ Week 1 win over the Seahawks.
Nacua did an incredible Cooper Kupp impersonation in this game, seamlessly connecting with Stafford as if they had been doing this for years. Nacua could have had an even more explosive day had Stafford connected with him on a deep shot near the end zone late in the game. Nacua dove for the ball but it was a few inches from his fingertips. Either way, the dominant debut should endear the rookie to Stafford and earn him plenty of opportunities going forward. Though the pace of this game undoubtedly inflated LA’s passing numbers, Nacua’s role is somewhere between good and elite. He should be treated as a low-end WR2 heading into Week 2 against 49ers.
- Rotoworld
A lot. 75% maybe more. Probably worth it. Looks like rock solid WR2 for the rams ahead of everyone not named Kupp.What % of FAAB will he go for this week? A guy in the FFPC I'm in, dropped him yesterday morning for Chris Brooks before kickoff.
In this case I think it’s significant. There are some factors that lead me to believe week 1 wasn’t a fluke (I wouldn’t expect 15 targets again)I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?
I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.
So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.
As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
- Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
- Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
- Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
- Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
- Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
- Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.
Here are their rookie stats…
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.
- Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
- Receptions: 83
- Receiving Yards: 567
- Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
- Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
- Receptions: 101
- Receiving Yards: 1,377
- Receiving Touchdowns: 8
- Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
- Receptions: 58
- Receiving Yards: 919
- Receiving Touchdowns: 7
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
- Receptions: 52
- Receiving Yards: 802
- Receiving Touchdowns: 2
- Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
- Receptions: 28
- Receiving Yards: 477
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
- Receptions: 92
- Receiving Yards: 1,137
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9
- Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
- Receptions: 91
- Receiving Yards: 980
- Receiving Touchdowns: 5
So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
Good post. I think you have a typo you might want to correct. "Several rookie wide receivers" was meant to say "seven rookie wide receivers?" If it was a typo, this data should not be ignored. Puka's performance cannot be ignored, neither can McVay's ability to scheme an offense to his players' strengths.I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?
I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.
So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.
As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
- Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
- Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
- Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
- Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
- Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
- Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.
Here are their rookie stats…
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.
- Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
- Receptions: 83
- Receiving Yards: 567
- Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
- Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
- Receptions: 101
- Receiving Yards: 1,377
- Receiving Touchdowns: 8
- Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
- Receptions: 58
- Receiving Yards: 919
- Receiving Touchdowns: 7
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
- Receptions: 52
- Receiving Yards: 802
- Receiving Touchdowns: 2
- Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
- Receptions: 28
- Receiving Yards: 477
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
- Receptions: 92
- Receiving Yards: 1,137
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9
- Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
- Receptions: 91
- Receiving Yards: 980
- Receiving Touchdowns: 5
So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
Good post. I think you have a typo you might want to correct. "Several rookie wide receivers" was meant to say "seven rookie wide receivers?" If it was a typo, this data should not be ignored. Puka's performance cannot be ignored, neither can McVay's ability to scheme an offense to his players' strengths.I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?
I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.
So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.
As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
- Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
- Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
- Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
- Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
- Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
- Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.
Here are their rookie stats…
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.
- Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
- Receptions: 83
- Receiving Yards: 567
- Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
- Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
- Receptions: 101
- Receiving Yards: 1,377
- Receiving Touchdowns: 8
- Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
- Receptions: 58
- Receiving Yards: 919
- Receiving Touchdowns: 7
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
- Receptions: 52
- Receiving Yards: 802
- Receiving Touchdowns: 2
- Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
- Receptions: 28
- Receiving Yards: 477
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
- Receptions: 92
- Receiving Yards: 1,137
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9
- Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
- Receptions: 91
- Receiving Yards: 980
- Receiving Touchdowns: 5
So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Did you ever find the answer to the bolded question? What can you reasonably see him going for?I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?
I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.
So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.
As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
- Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
- Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
- Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
- Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
- Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
- Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.
Here are their rookie stats…
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.
- Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
- Receptions: 83
- Receiving Yards: 567
- Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
- Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
- Receptions: 101
- Receiving Yards: 1,377
- Receiving Touchdowns: 8
- Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
- Receptions: 58
- Receiving Yards: 919
- Receiving Touchdowns: 7
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
- Receptions: 52
- Receiving Yards: 802
- Receiving Touchdowns: 2
- Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
- Receptions: 28
- Receiving Yards: 477
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
- Receptions: 92
- Receiving Yards: 1,137
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9
- Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
- Receptions: 91
- Receiving Yards: 980
- Receiving Touchdowns: 5
So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Did you ever find the answer to the bolded question? What can you reasonably see him going for?I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?
I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.
So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.
As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
- Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
- Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
- Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
- Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
- Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
- Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.
Here are their rookie stats…
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.
- Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
- Receptions: 83
- Receiving Yards: 567
- Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
- Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
- Receptions: 101
- Receiving Yards: 1,377
- Receiving Touchdowns: 8
- Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
- Receptions: 58
- Receiving Yards: 919
- Receiving Touchdowns: 7
- DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
- Receptions: 52
- Receiving Yards: 802
- Receiving Touchdowns: 2
- Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
- Receptions: 28
- Receiving Yards: 477
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
- Receptions: 92
- Receiving Yards: 1,137
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9
- Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
- Receptions: 91
- Receiving Yards: 980
- Receiving Touchdowns: 5
So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?