Rams News: Cooper Kupp Has Big Expectations for Puka Nacua This Season

Jeremy Hanna | Sep 7, 2024

May 28, 2024; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) talk during OTAs at California Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua had the best possible year a rookie could have in the NFL.

Despite being chosen 177th overall in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Nacua played like he was one of the best receivers in the league, setting records for receptions in a rookie season (105), receiving yards in a rookie season (1,486), and most receiving yards by a rookie in a playoff game (181).

Now, he's looking to do even better this year.

In a recent article from Stu Jackson of TheRams.com, Nacua has been working out fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp in order to improve as much as possible, going beyond strength and conditioning and into "talking, understanding, leverage and then just timing."

"There's ability then there's timing in place where you're going to open up your stride and you're going to get the full length," Nacua said. "There's going to be times where it's going to feel close quarters and you're going to have to shorten up your stride to be able to cross the defender's face. Not necessarily run different routes, but to be able to fine tune some of the stuff that we continue to do all the time."

According to Kupp, he has been seeing these improvements in practice during the offseason.

"I think what he's speaking about... everyone could reference back to 2021, but I think when you talk to Puka and he looks back on his year, it's looking at plays and saying, 'Man, I just know how much better I can be in that play. How much better I can do and on this route, on this run that way. Whatever it is, I can be so much better,'" Kupp said.

"I think for him, it's that. The standard is seeing that and now being able to improve it and go out and do it. For him, that's been his focus and he's done such a great job of being out here and being intentional about those things that maybe were things that last year he's like, man, I just wasn't on my 'Ps and Qs' on this route or on this concept. He's done such a better job this year of understanding the intent and just his energy going in and out of plays. That's where his focus has been."

Right now, multiple analysts are expecting Nacua to have a down year after his previous season. That being said, Nacua is working to prove them wrong, and it seems like Kupp expects him to do that.

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