Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua didn’t enter the NFL draft in the same class, but they were both fifth-round picks and have already become two of the best young players in the league. Nacua set multiple rookie records with his 1,486 yards and 105 receptions, while Williams finished first in rushing yards per game in his first year as a starter.
Of the Rams’ 6,108 total yards this season, Nacua and Williams accounted for 2,925 of them – so nearly half of the team’s yards from scrimmage. That’s quite the feat for any pair of teammates, let alone a tandem of two former fifth-round picks.
Rams play-by-play announcer J.B. Long uncovered a stat that says Nacua and Williams are the first pair of teammates 23 years or younger to average at least 90 scrimmage yards per game in the same season in NFL history.
So essentially, there’s never been a pair of teammates this young to average as many yards as Nacua and Williams did this season.
Going through some old NFL Research to update with final numbers from 2023.@RamsNFL RB Kyren Williams (112.5) & WR Puka Nacua (92.6) became the first teammates age 23 or younger to each average 90+ scrimmage yards per game… in league history. pic.twitter.com/Rr0jMkhAzX
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) January 19, 2024
Nacua and Williams were both banged up throughout the 2023 season, with Nacua landing on the injury report several times and Williams missing four games due to an ankle sprain. Assuming both are able to stay healthy in 2024, it’s reasonable to think they’ll put up even better numbers in Year 2 as teammates in Los Angeles.