The Los Angeles Rams may only be two years removed from a Super Bowl, but they still find themselves retooling nearly their entire offense.
After going all-in on experienced, expensive players, the Rams were too old and top-heavy last year. It meant that this offseason, the organization had to find some younger players through the draft.
Former BYU wide receiver Puka Nacua was among those brought in to solve the issue. He was the 177th overall pick in the fifth round. And as he goes through his first offseason, the Rams are starting to peg Nacua as a potential impact player in year one.
“He’s pretty special,” All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp said. “I think if he can stay on a good trajectory, he’s going to be a very good football player in this league. I love the way that he attacks each day.
“He’s got a great feel for the game, great feel for leverage, running routes. You come in, you’re running new concepts and things like that. Things that you’ve done before to get open might not fit within the realm of the things that we want to do here, but he’s just transitioned so quickly over understanding what the parameters are that he’s able to work in... He is asking the right questions.”
Head coach Sean McVay also told reporters that Nacua could be a main piece for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“He’s a guy that we’re expecting him to come in, expecting him to be able to contribute and compete,“ McVay said last week.
The Rams have had other receivers come in and contribute quickly under McVay. Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks and Kupp are examples (even if Woods and Cooks had NFL experience before entering McVay’s system).
“[Nacua’s] smart, he’s conscientious,” McVay said. “It’s hard to really compare to anybody… but I really like what he’s done.”
Quick Hits
• 2024 QB Enoch Watson committed to BYU on Sunday night. We talked to Watson last month about his visit and his high school offense. He is coached by former BYU quarterbacks Max Hall and Ty Detmer.
• The Big 12 will play basketball, baseball and soccer in Mexico next year. The hope is the conference will start a football bowl game in the country by 2026.
• BYU steeplechase runner Kenneth Rooks upset the top runner in the country to bring home a national championship.
Around the Big 12
Baylor — Just got its first 2025 commit, a quarterback from Columbus.
UCF — Is hitting the recruiting trail hard in the first two weekends of June.
Cincinnati — Is Sauce Garner having an effect on recruiting?
Houston — Will be the first team to head to Mexico City to play Big 12 basketball.
Iowa State — The biggest steal and biggest bust from the Cyclones under Matt Campbell.
Kansas — Five instant-impact players in 2023.
Kansas State — Is targeting a player in eight-man football.
Oklahoma — Would OU have been a good fit for the Big Ten?
Oklahoma State — Is adding Terry Miller to the Ring of Honor.
TCU — Is making an unlikely trip to the College Baseball World Series.
Texas — The buzz around QB Quinn Ewers is building this summer.
Texas Tech — Joey McGuire doesn’t love the new rule changes for recruiting.
West Virginia — How does new AD Wren Baker want to change football scheduling in the future?