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Three weeks ago, the overwhelming majority of NFL fans couldn’t tell you the name of Los Angeles Rams rookie wide reciever Puka Nacua.
Fast forward two games and Nacua is already becoming a household name after star performances against the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Nacua, a fifth-round pick of BYU, leads the entire NFL with 25 receptions. He has the second-most receiving yards in the league with 266, just behind Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson. And he’s been targeted a league-high 35 times by star quarterback Matthew Stafford?
So where did all this come from?
Nacua had a strong, but far from spectacular, career at BYU after transferring from Washington. He caught 91 passes for 1,430 yards and 11 touchdowns in two seasons in Provo.
But nothing showed that Nacua would quickly become one of the NFL’s top receiving threats.
However, it turns out Nacua has a secret.
The breakout star is a big fan of the Breakfast Club.
No, not the 1985 cult classic featuring Emilio Estevez.
Instead, Nacua attends daily early morning film sessions with Stafford and Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp.
Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletics reports the meetings began in 2021 and was just Stafford and Kupp for the past two seasons.
Now, Nacua is a regular attendee, and it’s more than paying off.
“Those two — as much as they’re in the moment for the reps that we’re taking, they’re thinking light-years ahead. ‘Hey, we’ve played this team before, on this look we have run this before, we’ve got a different look so when you run this, expect this because we’ve seen that before,’” Nacua told Rodrigue. “It’s been sweet, it’s been a blessing. Every morning…They’re next level. I guess that’s a part of being a professional. They are the best of the best. I’m trying to build some of those things into my routine.”
Nacua said that he was initially shy about joining the exclusive club.
“I’m kind of following Coop, like, ‘Hey, when do you guys come in? Hey, Coop, can I watch with you guys?’” he said. “The first couple of meetings, I’m like a fly on the wall. Nothing is really being said to me, they’re just like, watching the tape (and) talking to each other. Then they’re like, ‘Oh, Puka, you’re in on this rep? This is what we want you to do.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, you’re talking to me?’ I’m so focused the whole time! My ears perk up and I’m like, ‘He’s talking to me now.’”
Kupp has missed the first two games of the Rams’ season due to a lingering hamstring injury. And Nacua has more than stepped up in his absence.
With Kupp expected to return sometime in October, LA might soon be back to the Super Bowl-winning level it showed in 2021.