Rams' Nacua not feeling pressure after historic rookie season

A lot has changed over the last year for Puka Nacua, who went from being an unknown fifth-round receiver on the Los Angeles Rams to earning an All-Pro berth after a historic rookie season.

The expectations are high for Nacua in Year 2, but the BYU product said he isn't feeling any extra pressure.

"Every week presented a different challenge and who we were playing against and also just trying to make sure I could prepare myself the best way to be able to be there on Sunday and perform my best," Nacua recently said, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "I think coming into this year, I think it definitely presents a challenge of just trying to reset the standard."

Nacua - the 20th wide receiver off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft - set single-season rookie records for catches (105) and receiving yards (1,486) last year while being targeted a team-high 160 times. The 22-year-old also had 15 receptions in a game (another rookie record) in addition to six touchdowns to help the Rams reach the playoffs with a 10-7 record.

"Last year, from what I put on tape and tried to improve in the ways I know I'm capable of and then being there for my team in every which way coach (Sean) McVay asks a lot of us from the offensive side of the ball. I'm super excited for the challenges that come up this year," Nacua added.

The Rams fell short in the wild-card round against the Lions this past season, but Los Angeles will open its 2024 season with a rematch versus Detroit on Sunday Night Football.

"Being able to be back in Detroit is going to be a fun one in Week 1," Nacua said.

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