There is no rest for this NFL rookie record setter on the Rams offense

One of the concerns I have for so many LA Rams second-year players who outperformed expectations is pretty straightforward: Can they outdo an incredible rookie season? I mean, after shocking the NFL in their first season, can they continue to perform at an elite level when they are no longer surprising NFL players? And after proving to themselves and their teammates that they have what it takes to perform at an elite level, will they remain hungry enough to put in the work for a second season?

For one player, All-Time Rookie Receiver Record-Setter Puka Nacua, we have the answer. He's only just begun.

Life comes at you fast. In the NFL, a.k.a. Not For Long, a receiver's career is considered lengthy if it extends for 10 NFL seasons. If that is the case for Puka Nacua, he is already past 10 percent of his carer. But he is still squeezing the offseason for every drop of work to improve even more as possible.

So where can Nacua improve in his second season? Well, he has some areas where he can improve. In 2023, he hauled in 105 of 160 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. That equates to a 65.6 percent catch rate, which is not bad at all for a rookie receiver. But if he had caught just seven more passes, he would have had a 70 percent catch rate.

So where can he find more catches? Well, Puka Nacua had 13 dropped passes in 2023, which equates to a disappointing drop rate of 8.1 percent. Another rather alarming rate is that of interceptions that occured when he was the targetted receiver. Three interceptions when targeted work out to a two percent interception rate.

Nacua is an elite receiver, and put in the best rookie performance ever recorded by a receiver in the history of the NFL. But he is not content to coast into the remainder of his career.

If the LA Rams are to improve as a team, then individual players must improve as well. Despite setting records, Puka Nacua is already hard at work to get better for his second NFL season. If his workout partner, WR Cooper Kupp, is back in prime form as well, this team could have a pair of 1200+ yards wide receivers.

There may be a lot of pressure on this offense to perform in 2024. But with QB Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams, and WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in form, I don't see that scoring points will be a problem for this team.