When the Los Angeles Rams visit the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round Sunday night, one of the best rookies of the NFL season will be in the national spotlight in Rams receiver Puka Nacua.
The late-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft has burst onto the scene for Sean McVay's team, emerging as not only a top receiving option on the offense, but one of the best pass catchers in the league. But the Sunday night matchup might be the first time NFL fans across the country will be seeing the young star in action.
Here's everything you need to know about the Rams' breakout star:
Nacua is from Provo, Utah and attended Orem High School in Orem, Utah. In high school, he was named USA TODAY's All-Utah Offensive Player of the Year in 2018.
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POO-kuh Nuh-KOO-uh
Nacua's first name isn't actually Puka. His actual name is Makea Nacua. Nacua earned the Puka name as a baby because Puka in Samoan means "fat and chubby," he explained in a 2019 interview.
"It’s from when I was a baby and it kind of stuck. Going up through school, everybody knows me as Puka even though I slimmed out," he said.
Nacua knows UFC President Dana White because Nacua played Pop Warner football with White's son, Dana White III.
Nacua actually did a video with the Rams where he had to call the most famous person on his phone. Nacua decided to call "Uncle" Dana White, and when he answered the phone, he told the receiver, "I love seeing you in the Rams gear."
"I'm so proud of you man," White added.
Nacua started his college career at Washington, where he played for the Huskies from 2019-20. In two seasons there, he played 11 games and caught 16 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns.
After two seasons in Washington, Nacua transferred closer to home to play at Brigham Young for two seasons. Playing for the Cougars, Nacua led BYU in receiving yards in 2021 and 2022. In 21 games, he had a total of 91 receptions for 1,430 yards and 11 touchdowns at BYU, including seven games with more than 100 receiving yards.
While at BYU, Nacua played with his older brother Samson, who was also a receiver. Another brother, Kai, played at BYU prior before playing a few seasons in the NFL.
Nacua was taken in the fifth round with the 177th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Rams.
The Rams recently shared a video of their draft war room when they selected Nacua. McVay told Rams general manager Les Snead of Nacua, "I think this guy would be really good for us."
"We're going to nail that pick," Snead said.
Nacua played in all 17 regular-season games for the Rams this season, recording at least three catches in every contest. Nacua also had seven games of at least 100 receiving yards, including a career-high 164 yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 16. Here are his 2023 NFL stats:
Not only did Nacua have one of the best seasons for any rookie, but he also broke NFL records.
In the Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, Nacua broke Bill Groman's NFL rookie record of 1,473 receiving yards, which was set in 1960. He also broke Jaylen Waddle’s record set in 2021 for most receptions for a rookie, which was 104.
After setting the record, Nacua celebrated with his mom, and even gave her the game ball he broke the receiving yard record with.
