The Los Angeles Rams don’t win 10 games and reach the playoffs this season if not for their rookie class. They entered the year needing to come away with at least one or two impactful rookies, and they landed four starters, as well as a punter.
Puka Nacua was one of the best receivers in the NFL and set several rookie records, including the most receiving yards and catches in a player’s first season. Kobie Turner and Byron Young ranked first and second among rookies in sacks, finishing with nine and eight, respectively. Steve Avila not only started all 17 games at left guard, but he didn’t miss a single snap.
ESPN ranked the top 10 rookies from the 2023 season, but only one Rams player made the list: Nacua. He was ranked second by ESPN, only behind C.J. Stroud – the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Nacua broke a 63-year record for receiving yards by a rookie, as he finished the regular season with 1,486 yards on his 105 receptions. That’s quite the value for a fifth-round pick who had struggled with injuries at times during his college career.
Nacua makes contested catches, and his routes are crisp. He is already one of the league’s best at the position, breaking tackles once he has the ball — 43% of his receiving yards came after first contact, a remarkable number given his high volume of work.
Turner and Young were both left off ESPN’s poll, finishing in the “just missed” category alongside Texans wideout Tank Dell. De’Von Achane, who only played 11 games, finished in the final spot at No. 10, just barely ahead of Turner and Young. Bijan Robinson and Jordan Addison tied for eighth, so they were ahead of Turner and Young, too.
Even with just one rookie on ESPN’s top-10 list, the Rams had one of the best draft classes of any team last year, if not the very best. They have several building blocks for the 2024 season, and that’s without even mentioning Nick Hampton, Davis Allen and Tre Tomlinson, who could all have bigger roles next season.