Thirty-three wide receivers were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Nineteen of them were selected before the Los Angeles Rams decided to use a fifth-round selection on Puka Nacua, who had a nice collegiate career at Washington and BYU but hardly projected to be a star in the making.
In college, Nacua caught 107 passes for 1,749 yards across four years. In 15 games with the Rams, Nacua has 96 receptions for 1,327 yards. To call his ascent a surprise is underselling it, as he’s made his mark on the NFL’s record book for proficiency by a first-year receiver. And with the team needing someone to step up at WR — first during Cooper Kupp’s absence at the start of the year and then alongside the All-Pro pass catcher — Nacua has managed to do just that, playing a major role on a Rams team that sits at 8-7 and has real aspirations of making the postseason.
Uproxx Sports caught up with Nacua ahead of last week’s Thursday Night Football tilt against the New Orleans Saints to discuss his first year in the league, his welcome to the NFL moment, his partnership with Pepsi that offers support to Black and Latino-owned businesses in Los Angeles, his love of bowling, and more.
What do you have going on with this partnership with Pepsi?
Pepsi and the Rams teamed up and I got to be a part of it, to help some Black and Latino-owned businesses in L.A. They surprised four of the local restaurants with $10,000 checks and we’re doing some free lunches, as well, at these restaurants throughout the month of December and then the one in January — hopefully I’ll be able to make an appearance at that one, depending on how our playoff schedule goes.
But, it was super cool to be a part of it. I’m the new guy, obviously, in the area, and just to get familiar with what it’s like to be in L.A. and to try some of the new food — I’m super basic, I’m steak and mashed potatoes, no sauce, no nothing. So, it was super nice to get some diversity in the food that I was trying, and then also just to be out there in the community. I come from a big family, so community and connection is big for me. So, it was super cool to be a part of this and help impact the community that I’m trying to become super involved in.
You’ve kind of touched on it, but is that why it was so important for you to team up with Pepsi on something like this? To really plant your flag as, “I’m a person who is going to be in Los Angeles for a long, long time”?
I guess that you’re not thinking too far into the future, but just thinking of the things that I hold close, that are values to me, of family and community. So, when this opportunity presented itself, I was super excited to be able to team up, and it’s been cool to meet the owners of the restaurants and the members of the community that go out and support these restaurants, and to help support them even more, and to bring everybody in the community closer.
You mentioned you’re a pretty basic diet guy, is there one thing that you’ve gotten to try or might get to try because of this that you’ve been especially excited about?
I’ve never really tried soul food before. Had some mac and cheese, there was a soul food spot we tried downtown the mac and cheese is crazy, and the biscuits obviously. I love, like, the basics, foods like mac and cheese and the biscuits were going crazy, and fried chicken, obviously. I was like, man, I might put a couple pounds on before coach McVay might see me as a tight end. The food was fantastic, I don’t know how often I could eat that because they might not like that in our nutrition room, but the soul food was amazing.
You’re towards the end of your rookie year now at this point, and I want to know your broad, general thoughts on how your rookie year in the league is going.
It’s been super fast, it’s felt like a blur. Thinking back to what it was like in training camp, we do our training camp here in Irvine, not where our practice facility is currently. But, just seems like forever ago, it almost feels like my college football season, when I’m thinking about training camp, and just the time how quickly time flies. And then, just how easy it was to go to the grocery store then, and then how not so easy it is to go the grocery store now. Just running into people and the excitement I feel from people being able to recognize me — I love what people show the support. But then also, ok, going to the gas station, I should probably put a hat on. If I go to the grocery store, maybe wear a hoodie.
Forget wide receivers, rookies in general don’t get thrown into the fire the way that you were those first couple of weeks of the year. Did you know that was coming off of camp and preseason? Or was it something that happened organically in that first game, where you and Matthew had a connection that you were able to really build on and thrive because of?
I think it was sprinkled throughout training camp, and then obviously with Coop’s injury, it wasn’t like, oh, Puka, you’re gonna be the guy, Matthew wants to throw you the ball now. But I guess it was just my mindset from the beginning when I got drafted, one day at a time. That was from before even Coop and before we even got to training camp, I wanted to continue to prove every single day that I belong with these guys and that I can play the game of football with the best of them. And I guess just throughout that process of being around Matthew, around Coop, and the guys that were helping lead and support me, it turned into what happened in those first couple of weeks this season of being able to connect and be on the same page, and just execute in the game of football. It kind of felt like I was in flow state and that nothing could go wrong.
Can you describe that flow state? What did it feel like? What was it like showing up to work every day? What was it like stepping onto the football? Was that a thing that you have felt before in your football career?
I definitely can’t say that, that I’ve felt that that in my football career. Just coming in, so excited every day, I love being able to play football, I love the environment that I’m in with the people here at the Rams facility. But then, just being able to go out there and execute on Sundays, the one day at a time mentality made me so narrow focused. I don’t look at the schedule, even now to this day, because I can’t worry about tomorrow, I got so many things I gotta get accomplished done today.
But it just made everything that much more sweet, just felt like I could process every moment but also not force anything. Everything was coming to me and just letting everything flow. There was no restrictions, whether it was a good play or a bad play, because I can remember so vividly, my very first target was a drop in the Seattle game. I ran an under route, and it’s so funny, we’re talking about the connection that me and Matthew had, but it was our very first route that we had a miscommunication on — I’m breaking on an in cut, and he’s like, oh, I want to hold you there, and I’m full speed sprinting. In that moment, it was just him looking at me giving me a thumbs up like, hey, you’re good, don’t worry about it, we’ll get it. And from then on, that played didn’t cross my head again. And the rest of that game, because we connected on like four or five other under routes in that game — obviously I had 10 catches in that game. Everything just felt like I was in the right place.
Cooper comes back after like five weeks, and suddenly, there’s a couple of dudes in you and him that — Matthew doesn’t have problems throwing to a lot of guys, but no problem throwing it to you 10 times, no throw problem throwing it to Cooper 10 times. How is Cooper being there alongside you, maybe not made your life easier, but changed how you operate knowing you’re out there with an All-Pro lined up on the other side of you?
I wouldn’t say it’s really changed too much. Coop makes it, I feel like he does actually make the game so much easier. The mental aspect that he holds, and the ability to understand what the defense is going to do, and how our offense operates, and how to win inside the timing of the offense makes it so sweet and so fun to be able to run routes, because I have somebody who’s done it all. [He] can run every single route and knows what it’s like in the timing of the offense, and has seen multiple positions, multiple guys move through it, knows how Matthew’s thinking, he knows how coach McVay’s thinking. So, he makes my job super easy.
And then, just the ability to know that we’re causing so much stress on the defense. Early on in the year, when Cooper wasn’t playing, the ability to be like, okay, I’m trusting in myself, and I know Matthew’s trusting me, I’m going to win my one-on-one matchup. But now it’s like, okay, in some of those games where we are getting the defenses to slide the coverage over to one side because I was having so many targets and catches early in the game, but then it’s like, oh, wait, we have the triple crown winner and a Super Bowl winner, the legend of Cooper Kupp on the other side when he comes back in. It’s like, wait, do we want to guard the new guy, or do we guard the guy who is gonna light us up anyway? It’s been so fun to be able to work with him and just being a part of our offense where we feel like we had we can go out there and it’s a dealer’s choice.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from being around him? Because that dude is so good, and I imagine as a guy breaking into the league, that’s one hell of a guy to be able to just say like, I’m gonna pick your brain here, I’m gonna learn a little something from you.
I think the routine and just his personality influences a lot of his football play style. But I would say the one thing I learned, and still trying to learn from Coop, is just that patience and that football feel. I wouldn’t say necessarily it’s just a football feel, but that patience and the true understanding of how everybody’s moving, how all 11 parts need to move in sync in order for something to happen, and then how to obviously win his individual matchups. With Coop being one of the best and knowing how good he is, a defense is very rarely gonna give him a one-on-one matchup. So, Coop’s thinking light years beyond him — like, how do I beat this guy who’s defending me, but how do I beat the backer who’s his help? Or how do I beat the safety who’s his help when I break this in cut or I break this out cut? So, there’s that patience and understanding that he has of all 11 moving parts on the football field, it’s absolutely amazing.
Has there been anything that has surprised you about life in the NFL? Because obviously, you know it’s a step up, but was there anything — whether it’s on or off the field — that made you go, boy, I just did not expect that to be as big, difficult, whatever you want to say?
I would say just the practice schedule and the ability to have to turn over. We’re on our first Thursday night game, from a Sunday to Thursday, and this week has been an absolute blur from when we played our last game on Sunday to where we’re getting ready in 48 hours to play another football game. And just the transition of being able to take care of your body, being able to take care of your your mental state, and being able to process information that we’re being given, and then to go out there and physically perform it again. The mental fortitude, and the mental strength, that it takes to be able to continue to go. Because it feels like forever ago, but it also feels like not too long ago, that all our coaches were like, what is it like knowing that your college friends are all done you’re getting ready to roll for another 10 more games? And I was just like, wait, can you say that one again? We really do have 10 more games or however many was at that time! But, just the mental strength that has taken is definitely been something I didn’t expect.
I always love asking rookies this, whether they’re in the NFL, whether the NBA, whatever. Do you feel like you have had your welcome to the NFL moment yet? And if you have, what was that?
Yeah, it was actually, luckily, it came Week One in Seattle. We have a toss play where I’m pulling behind the guard, and we’re going to the backside of the formation. So, pre-snap I’m IDing some of the guys over there, I’m looking, I’m like, okay, that’s the guy I gotta go get it, I’m gonna run over there full speed and hopefully get ready to hit him. But then obviously, the guards got to pull in front of me. So, ball’s snapped, I’m like, ok, I take my eyes to where I’m running, and then I’m turning my eyes to where the guy is.
And as soon as I turned my eyes to the sideline, I’m looking laterally, I’m sprinting, I get hit by one of the D-lineman and then instantly I’m just looking straight up at the sky and I’m on my back, I’m getting bounced off the turf in Seattle, and we have like a four yard loss. I’m just like, wait, what in the world just happened? In the blink of an eye, literally, I snap my fingers, I got obliterated through the hole, and they made a tackle for loss. I thought I had somewhat of a good level of awareness and body control and sense of where people might be, but this 300 pound lineman made the play in the backfield and then took me off my feet in a matter of what didn’t even feel like seconds.
I imagine that, getting back to the huddle, was it like, “oh boy…”
I’m making sure my helmet’s still strapped up! I remember, I was asking Tutu — Tutu came back to me because he had a motion on that. But he’s like, yo, are you good? And I’m just trying to make sure I can collect my thoughts. I’m just like, what is going on? I’m so flustered.
Last couple of questions, this has nothing to do with football. It comes from your bio on BYU ‘s website. It says “bowls about a 200 on average.” Have you gotten a chance to bowl with other dudes on the Rams, and if so, where do you rank on the team?
No, sadly I haven’t been able to go bowl with some of the guys on the team. But I’d be willing to say I’m one of the best out there. I don’t know how many guys are averaging a 200 bowl. I know it’s not easy, you leave some pins out there and you can’t have any empty frames out there. So, I’d be willing to say I’m one of the best of them, for sure.
Where does the love of it come from? Is it a thing where, when you need to get away from football, is that one of the places where you go for a sense of calm, a sense of sanctuary?
Yeah, actually back home, Miracle Bowl in Utah, they’re my spot. I had a bowling class in high school that the basketball coach taught, so we used to go bowling all the time in high school and all through college when I was there at BYU. Kind of a local hangout close to BYU, but it was that was for sure my spot. I was always in lane 16, nice and oiled up for me, nice and crispy. Got my own bowling ball, they have great pizza over there. I guess now, looking back, it was a sanctuary for me tucked away in a corner over there.
Have you ever bowled a 300?
No, 283 is my closest.