After having one of the best rookie seasons of any wide receiver in NFL history in 2023, Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams dealt with injuries last season. But his solid production in the games he did play in solidified his standing on the fringe of being a top-10 player at his position in the league.
Will he make the leap into the “elite” category in 2025?
Is Puka Nacua One Of The Elite WRs In The NFL?
In his first year, Nacua’s 1,486 receiving yards broke the record for most ever for a rookie. He was named to the Pro Bowl and selected as a Second Team All-Pro, and finished second to CJ Stroud in the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award voting.
True or False: #Rams Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua are the best quarterback/wide receiver duo in the #NFL…? pic.twitter.com/JRfxWKId6H
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 20, 2025
In doing so, he overtook Cooper Kupp as the Rams’ go-to offensive weapon, and was expecting another big year in 2024. There were even expectations that Nacua would make an early leap into the top-10 wide receiver conversation.
But a PCL strain early in the season caused him to miss five games, and was only able to post a stat line of 79 catches, 990 yards, and 3 touchdowns in his sophomore campaign. Without the big numbers to compare to his peers, his elite status remained a “maybe”, which is something he’s looking to change this upcoming season.
Despite his decreased numbers, Puka Nacua was actually more effective on a per-game basis than in his rookie season. He was able to average more yards per game (90) in 2024 than he did the year prior (87.4), and his catch percentage increased from 65.6% to 74.5%. He caught an extra pass per game on average as well, and even tacked on a rushing touchdown.
Kupp Out, But Adams Is Now In The Fold
Nacua may have some pressure taken off of him this season, as well. Kupp is gone, but the Rams brought in Davante Adams as a replacement, who has been considered an elite NFL wide receiver in his own right. Nacua is known to produce big numbers even when defenses hone in on him, and he may see an even larger increase with attention being on Adams at times.
Puka Nacua feels like 'a kid in the candy store' learning from Davante Adams https://t.co/y5q4TGbZpg pic.twitter.com/3hgNzEW4mH
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) July 16, 2025
There are plenty of reasons why NFL fans may keep Nacua out of their top-10s. He doesn’t exactly fit the elite wide receiver prototype, lacking the size of a Ja’Marr Chase or the speed of a Tyreek Hill. The injuries, which date back to his college days, are certainly a concern.
But if Puka Nacua puts up big numbers in 2025, then there will be little reason to keep him out of the conversation for much longer.
