Why Puka Nacua's numbers will pop in his 2nd season in the Rams offense

It's hard to imagine anyone expecting more out of LA Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua after he shattered the All-Time NFL Rookie Receiving Records. Unless, of course, you are Puka Nacua. Based on the way he has transformed and sculpted his body in preparation for a new NFL season, it's pretty obvious that he did not return to the Rams for a second helping of what he did as a rookie.

He is aiming far higher than that.

Of course, It's not a news story if we were only talking about an NFL rookie getting in better shape in the offseason. But that is like saying Hot Dog Eating Champion, Joey Chestnut, eats a couple of dogs. What Puka Nacua did was to tear his form down and rebuild it from the ground up. And he got it right, thanks to working out with teammate, WR Cooper Kupp.

Kupp was the key to his offseason. He not only took Nacua under his wing, but he also shared his secret sauce off-season workout regimen. And the effect on the second-year form of the young wide receiver has been dramatically different. As noted by WR Coach Eric Yarber in the tweet above, Nacua has retrofitted his body to be better prepared to perform and withstand the physical demands of the Rams wide receiver position.

Now, imagine the impact on his production by taking the guy who set rookie receiver records, and then sending him back to the lab to gain strength, power, agility, stamina, and perfect the ability to stop, go, and turn on a dime. That is how Nacua has prepared for his second NFL season.

Because Puka Nacua plays a similarly styled game as teammate Cooper Kupp, it makes complete sense that he would turn to his veteran teammate for tips. After all, while Nacua's 2023 season resulted in nearly 1500 receiving yards, is is a far cry from Kupps 2021 performance of 1,947 receiving yards.

If Puka Nacua can near that level of production in 2024, the Rams are almost assured of competing in Super Bowl LIX. No wonder Kupp shared his secrets with his young teammate, eh?

As always, thanks for reading