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It didn’t take long for Los Angeles Rams wideout Puka Nacua to establish himself as one of the premier pass catchers in the NFL. In his first two professional games, the fifth-round pick out of BYU caught 25 passes for a whopping 266 yards — and it was just a sign of things to come.
Nacua set rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) to go along with six receiving touchdowns, while the Rams made the playoffs as a wild card. In that postseason loss to the Detroit Lions, Nacua caught nine passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, setting the NFL record for most receiving yards recorded by a rookie in a playoff game. Nacua finished his first season ranked ninth in receptions, fourth in yards and sixth in receiving yards per game, which earned him Second Team All-Pro honors, as well as a Pro Bowl appearance.
This week, Nacua spoke with CBS Sports about his historic rookie campaign, and how he’s preparing for Year 2.
CBS Sports: You probably had the best campaign for any rookie wideout ever. Did you surprise yourself a little bit with how you dominated out of the gate?
Nacua: “I wouldn’t use the word surprised, but it definitely did feel natural. With the media stuff that had come after, but I still remember that first time out in Seattle Week 1 and just feeling like I was in a flow state. My first target in the NFL was a drop, but I just remember after that moment, me and Matthew (Stafford) kind of looking at each other and feeling like everything was still going to be alright. I had made the mistake to start, and everything else went so smoothly after that. So it was amazing.”
Tell me about Matthew Stafford, he seems like one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. What makes him so special?
“The arm talent he has I think is second to none, and then his toughness at the quarterback position is something that you don’t always get from the quarterbacks….
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/rams-puka-nacua-discusses-historic-first-season-what-makes-matthew-stafford-special-and-toughest-db-he-faced/
Author : Jordan Dajani
Publish date : 2024-06-27 20:04:17
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