Puka Nacua
Makea "Puka" Nacua is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. He played college football for the Washington Huskies and BYU Cougars and was selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Nacua exceeded expectations in his first year, setting the NFL rookie record for receiving yards and receptions and earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.
Early life
Nacua was born on May 29, 2001. His mother is of Samoan and German descent, and his father was of Hawaiian and Portuguese descent. He acquired the nickname "Puka", meaning fat and chubby in Samoan, due to his size as a baby. He grew up in Provo, Utah, and attended Orem High School in Orem, Utah. Nacua finished his high school career with 260 catches, 5,226 receiving yards, and 58 receiving touchdowns, all of which are Utah state records. He was named the Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year in 2018.College career
University of Washington
Nacua began his college career at Washington. He played in the first eight games of his freshman season and caught seven passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a broken foot. Nacua had nine receptions for 151 yards and one touchdown in three games during the team's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Following the end of the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.Brigham Young University
Nacua transferred to BYU prior to the 2021 season. In his first season with the Cougars, he caught 43 passes for 805 yards and six touchdowns. He had four games going over the 100-yard mark in the 2021 season. In a 38–24 loss to Baylor played on October 16, 2021, Nacua had five receptions for a college career-best 168 yards with a touchdown. He also caught a pair of touchdowns in BYU's 34–17 win over Georgia Southern.On October 15, 2022, against Arkansas, he had eight receptions for 141 yards and a receiving touchdown to go with two rushing touchdowns. On November 5, in a victory over Boise State, he had 14 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns including the game-winning touchdown on fourth and goal to put BYU in front 31–28 with 32 seconds left.
Nacua finished the 2022 season with 48 receptions for 625 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. During his two seasons at BYU, Nacua totaled 91 receptions for 1,430 yards with 11 touchdowns and ran the ball 39 times for 357 yards and scored five TDs on the ground.
College statistics
Professional career
Pre-draft
Nacua was selected by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League in the fifth round, 177th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft, and was the 20th wide receiver picked.2023 season
In his first professional football game, Nacua caught three passes for 32 yards including an 11-yard touchdown reception in a 34-17 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The performance elevated him to the starting lineup and he did not see further action during the preseason. Nacua made his rookie debut for the Rams on September 10, 2023, against the rival Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The Seahawks were heavy favorites because the Rams were coming off of an injury-riddled 2022 season and the team was without star receiver Cooper Kupp, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Despite this, Nacua immediately became a formidable piece of the team's offense, making 10 catches for 119 yards in his first NFL start as the Rams beat the Seahawks 30–13. Though he was first questionable with a rib injury, in his second game, Nacua broke the NFL single-game record for catches by a rookie as he caught 15 passes for 147 yards in a 30–23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The 25 catches over his first two games was another rookie record, surpassing Earl Cooper's 43-year-old mark of 19, and he also became the first player to record more than 10 catches and more than 100 yards in each of his first two NFL games.After catching five passes for 72 yards in Week 3 during a 19-16 loss to Cincinnati, Nacua had nine receptions for 163 yards, including his first NFL touchdown on a 22-yard reception in overtime to beat the Indianapolis Colts 29–23. During a Week 7 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Nacua finished with 154 receiving yards on eight receptions as the Rams lost 24-17. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, Nacua surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the year with a 70-yard touchdown reception as the Rams won 36–19. In Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, Nacua caught nine passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and ran twice for 16 yards and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Against the New York Giants in Week 17, Nacua caught five passes for 118 yards, including a season-long 80-yard catch-and-run to set up a touchdown in the Rams' 26–25 victory. He finished the season with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards, setting new NFL rookie single season records for total receptions and total receiving yards. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In his first career playoff game, Nacua caught nine passes for 181 yards including a 50-yard touchdown in the Rams' 24–23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card Round. The yardage total set a new single-game record for receiving yards by a rookie in a playoff game, breaking the previous mark 160 set by Seattle's DK Metcalf in 2019. The record was then broken the subsequent season by Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
2024 season
On August 4, 2024, Nacua suffered an injury during training, bursting the bursa sac in his right knee. Following the injury, Nacua was declared as week-to-week, and did not start practicing again until August 26. On September 4, he had done a full practice and was cleared by the Rams for the season-opener game against the Detroit Lions. In the 26–20 loss to the Lions on September 8, Nacua caught four passes for 35 yards and ran the ball once for seven yards, but exited the game in the second quarter and did not return. The next day, Nacua was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament sprain and was placed on injured reserve.After missing five games, Nacua was activated off injured reserve on October 24 and played in the Rams' Week 8 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, finishing with 106 receiving yards on seven receptions in a 30–20 victory. A week later, Nacua caught one pass for 11 yards at Seattle, but was ejected from the game in the second quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing a punch during a post-play altercation with Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson. On December 8, Nacua put up 12 receptions for 162 receiving yards with one receiving touchdown, and five rushes for 16 yards and one rushing touchdown in a 44–42 win over the Buffalo Bills. He also became the first player in Rams franchise history to put up at least 150 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown in a game. Four days later in a Week 15 Thursday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Nacua caught seven passes for 97 yards in a touchdown-free, rain-filled 12-6 victory at Levi's Stadium. One of those catches - against 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward early in the first quarter - was widely compared by fans to David Tyree's Helmet Catch against the New England Patriots in the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII. Nacua also ran the ball two times for 11 yards. Against Arizona in a Week 17 clash at SoFi Stadium, Nacua had 10 receptions for 129 yards in the Rams' 13-9 win. Nacua was inactive for L.A.'s regular season finale versus Seattle, ending his year just 10 yards short of a 1,000-yard season. In the NFC playoffs, Nacua caught five passes for 44 yards and one rush for seven yards in a 27-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round, and then six receptions for 97 yards in a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in a divisional round game.