Sports

Puka Nacua Returns to Pro Bowl Form
By James Moreau | 23 Nov, 2025

The third-year wide receiver Puka Nacua is seeking another Pro Bowl nod, after a record-setting rookie campaign and an impressive, though abbreviated second season.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is again proving to be one of the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons in his third NFL season.

Eleven weeks in he ranks third in league with 73 receptions and 850 receiving yards, while missing one game due to injury.  Nacua ranks second in yards per game with 94.4.

His best game this season was in a win versus the Colts where he racked up 170 receiving yards and a touchdown.  The Rams currently lead the NFC with 8 wins – tied with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Nacua’s debut in 2023 set rookie records for receiving yards in a season with 1,486 and 105 receptions.  He even set a record for the most rookie receptions in one game with 15.  His standout season earned him a Pro Bowl nod and Second-Team All-Pro honors.  Albeit in a wild card loss, he also set a single-game playoff receiving yards record for a rookie with 181.

During the 2024 training camp Nacua suffered a right knee injury that cost him 6 games early in the season.  He still managed to average 90 receiving yards per game, third best in the league.

The Rams’ fifth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft is currently playing on a four-year rookie contract worth $4.08 million.

Nacua began his college career at Washington.  He saw game action as a freshman but played in only 11 totals games in his first two seasons due to a broken foot and the pandemic.  To be closer to family he transferred to BYU for his final two seasons where he contributed 1,430 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.

The 24-year-old is a Provo, Utah native of Polynesian heritage.  His nickname “Puka” is Samoan for “fat and chubby,” a name earned in infancy.  All four of his brothers also played college football at BYU.