Tag: Puka Nacua

Look: Puka Nacua rocked a Cooper Kupp T-shirt while training with Cooper Kupp

Puka Nacua rocked a T-shirt with Cooper Kupp on it while training with the Rams receiver 😂

Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have become extremely close over the last year, not only working in tandem on the field, but training off it, too. They’ve spent time this offseason preparing for the 2024 campaign, which will benefit both Rams receivers as they gear up for Year 2 as teammates.

Trainer Ryan Sorensen recently shared a video of the two working out together, doing everything from cardio to core strength training. One thing stood out in the video (besides Kupp’s ripped physique): Nacua’s T-shirt.

While Kupp went shirtless, Nacua wore a shirt with Kupp on it, because of course he did.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5JpQI5P9Pf/?hl=en

It’s not as funny as Andrew Whitworth’s Super Bowl parade shirt with Kupp’s picture on it, but you can’t help but love Nacua’s workout attire.

Puka Nacua’s first time meeting Will Ferrell was painfully awkward: ‘I was so embarrassed’

Puka Nacua met Will Ferrell recently and he choked under pressure, getting one of the star’s movies wrong

Puka Nacua went from being a little-known fifth-round rookie out of BYU to taking the NFL by storm with the best rookie season ever by a wide receiver. That’s earned him opportunities that a lot of Day 3 picks don’t get, like meeting star actors.

At an LAFC game recently, Nacua got the chance to meet Will Ferrell. Obviously excited about getting to talk to a star like Ferrell, Nacua absolutely choked under pressure. He told Ferrell that he just watched one of his old movies, except instead of saying “Semi-Pro”, he blurted out “Tropic Thunder” – a film Ferrell most definitely is not in.

“I went to an LAFC game not too long ago and met Will Ferrell,” Nacua said on Maxx Crosby’s podcast. “I just watched that movie ‘Semi-Pro’ and I’m like, ‘I just watched one of your old movies.’ I’m blanking on it and I say, ‘Tropic Thunder’. He’s like, ‘Oh, I’m not in that.’ I’m like, ‘I know you’re not in that.’ He’s like, ‘What is it about?’ And I was like, ‘The basketball team! Flint!’ He’s like, ‘Oh, you mean Semi-Pro?’ I was so embarrassed. I blew my moment. It was so bad.”

Thankfully, Ferrell’s son came over and diffused the awkward silence by telling Nacua he’s a big fan.

“But then his son came up and was like, ‘Puka, I’m a fan.’ And he saved it,” Nacua said.

In Nacua’s defense, it was an honest mistake and he didn’t pull “Tropic Thunder” completely out of nowhere. Ferrell’s team in “Semi-Pro” is the Flint Tropics, so that’s where the mix-up came from.

That won’t make Nacua feel any better about getting one of Ferrell’s movies wrong but at least you can see where he was going with it.

Watch: Puka Nacua’s brother sacked A.J. McCarron in standout UFL debut

Puka Nacua’s brother, Kai, brought down A.J. McCarron for a sack in the first week of the UFL on Saturday

Puka Nacua has become a household name in the NFL thanks to a historic rookie season in which he set the records for the most receptions and receiving yards ever by a first-year player. However, before he made it to the pros, his brother was playing defensive back a few years prior.

Kai Nacua, who also played at BYU, went undrafted in 2017 but played 16 games for the Browns as a rookie, making three starts. He didn’t play another game until 2020 and played his last game in 2021, but he’s not giving up his football dream yet.

During Saturday’s opening weekend in the UFL, Nacua was a defensive star for the Michigan Panthers. Nacua recorded a game-high 11 tackles, one sack and two tackles for a loss, helping his team to an 18-16 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks. His highlight play was a sack on former Alabama QB A.J. McCarron in the first quarter.

Several players have gone from spring leagues to the NFL, so Nacua has a chance to do the same if he plays well in the UFL. It’s not easy to do, but perhaps a team in the NFL will give him another shot.

Aaron Donald confident he left Rams ‘in good hands’ with young core

“Ernest, it’s your defense now. I told him that.”

Aaron Donald’s absence will undoubtedly be felt on the Rams defense next season. He was one of the best players in football and a cornerstone of Los Angeles’ defensive front for a decade, and there’s no easy way to replace him.

The Rams still have playmakers all over their roster, which has Donald feeling good about the state he left the team in. In his first post-retirement interview, he mentioned Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner and Ernest Jones as players who will help take the Rams into the next era, telling them that it’s their time now.

“I talk to them a million times and tell them, ‘it’s y’all time now,'” Donald said. “It’s time for you guys like Kobie to be the leader now, to Puka, to continue to build on what you did. Ernest, it’s your defense now. I told him that. To leave the team how I’m leaving the team, in good hands with great young guys that’s going to do some great things for the organization, make it even that much better for me to know I ain’t leaving it in a bad condition, it’s in good terms and they have a good team, and I feel like they’re going to have a lot of success.”

Of course, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Rob Havenstein and Tyler Higbee are all still in Los Angeles and will continue to be leaders in the locker room, but the Rams are also bringing along the next group of pillars – Turner, Jones and Nacua chief among them.

Fortunately for Turner, he got to spend one year learning from and working with Donald, which will certainly help him in his development as one of the best young defensive tackles in football. Jones also played alongside Donald for three seasons, and while they didn’t play the same position, they were two leaders on defense.

It’s hard not to feel good about the state of the Rams after their surprisingly impressive 10-7 season in 2023, and now they have a first-round pick (plus 10 other total selections) in the upcoming draft. They’re built to win now, even with as big a loss as Donald is.

Check out Puka Nacua’s bracket for the 2024 NCAA tournament

Puka Nacua has 11th-seeded Oregon making a deep run in the NCAA tournament, but see who he has winning it all

It’s that time of year again: bracket season. Everyone is filling out their NCAA tournament brackets for this year’s frenzy, including Rams receiver Puka Nacua. The official NCAA March Madness Twitter account shared a photo of Nacua’s full bracket and while it’s pretty chalky with three No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, he does have 11th-seeded Oregon making a run to the Sweet 16.

As for his alma mater, BYU, he has the No. 6 seed in the East going to the Sweet 16, as well, taking down Duquesne and Illinois in the process before losing to Iowa State. BYU, Oregon and San Diego State (5-seed) are the only non-top-4 seeds to make the Sweet 16 in Nacua’s bracket.

In the end, he has Houston beating Baylor in the championship game, completing a magical season for the Cougars.

Look: McVay, Stafford, Nacua and Kupp sit courtside at ‘Netflix Slam’ tennis match

The Rams’ stars were out at the “Netflix Slam” where Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz squared off in Las Vegas

The stars were out at the inaugural “Netflix Slam” on Sunday night, an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas, including several from the Los Angeles Rams.

Videos showed Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua all sitting courtside for the Nadal-Alcaraz battle, hanging out together at this awesome event. It’s obviously not the first time they’ve hung out together, but seeing them spending time as a group at an event like this is pretty cool.

Jordan Love and Colin Kaepernick were also sitting in celebrity row for the match, so it wasn’t just the Rams’ stars representing the NFL in Vegas.

Apparently McVay showed off his wide receiver hands by snagging a wayward shot by Nadal. You can only see the aftermath in the video below, but the former college receiver has some good hands.

Here’s another photo of the group together at the event, along with some others.

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix Š 2024)

Alcaraz took down the legendary Nadal, 14-12, coming from behind to beat his idol.

Watch: Puka Nacua hilariously admits he had no idea the Lions play indoors

Puka Nacua wore a ski mask to start the Rams’ playoff game against the Lions, mostly because he had no idea Detroit plays indoors

Puka Nacua just turned in the best rookie season ever by a wide receiver, so we’ll have to cut him some slack here. However, in the lead up to the Rams’ playoff game against the Lions, Nacua had no idea Detroit plays indoors.

He was completely unaware that the Lions play in a dome, which is why he came out wearing a ski mask for the first portion of the game despite it likely being over 70 degrees at Ford Field.

Nacua made this hilarious admission during an interview with Rich Eisen, saying he didn’t find out the Lions play in a dome until Sean McVay told him in a team meeting before the game.

“I did have the ski mask on. It was cold. It was really cold out there,” he said. “I mean, even being in a dome – I didn’t know Detroit was a dome until, like, right before. Coach had a team meeting, he was like, ‘Puka, you know we’re playing in a dome.’ I was like, ‘Coach, I thought we were going to be outside. I’ve been practicing with my shiesty on the whole week.’”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QYGGgOpEU/?hl=en

Eisen had to make sure he heard Nacua correctly because he asked him again: “So you did not know the Lions played indoors?”

“No, I didn’t. I know, it’s bad,” Nacua sheepishly admitted. “Trust me, the guys let me know that week during meetings. They’re like, ‘What are you doing, Puka?’”

Nacua took off the ski mask early in the game because he went to drink some water and just about waterboarded himself.

“I had a drink, I was like, starting to almost waterboard myself,” he said. “My ski mask became wet. I’m like trying to breathe. Coach McVay’s like, ‘No huddle! No huddle!’ I’m like, ‘I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe, coach. Somebody get me out of here. So then I had to take it off.”

Now that Nacua knows the Lions play indoors, he can leave his ski mask and hand warmer at home when the Rams travel to Detroit next season.

Look: Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua working out together this offseason

Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are hitting the gym together this offseason as they stay fresh for the 2024 campaign

There are still a couple of months until the Los Angeles Rams get back together again for their offseason workout program but players are obviously still permitted to train on their own before OTAs begin. Puka Nacua told Rams Wire recently that he plans to stay in Los Angeles as he prepares for the 2024 season – partly because he wants to catch “as many Lakers games as possible” – and he’s linking up with Cooper Kupp for some winter workouts.

Trainer Ryan Sorensen shared a video on Instagram this week of Kupp and Nacua training together at what appears to be Kupp’s home gym. Nacua and Kupp built a strong connection throughout the 2023 season as Nacua got settled into the NFL and it looks like they’re going to be hanging out a bunch this offseason.

Sorensen also posted a video of Kupp doing some training on his own earlier this month as he gears up for a bounce-back season in 2024.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3I0VN_PKVy/?hl=en

Dana White goes way back with Puka Nacua: ‘He grew up in our house’

Dana White is close with Puka Nacua and couldn’t be more proud of all he’s accomplished in the NFL already

Puka Nacua and Dana White aren’t related, but Nacua calls the UFC president “Uncle Dana” because they’ve been close for years – all the way back to when Nacua was a youth football player. Before moving to Utah, Nacua grew up in Las Vegas with his family and was friends with White’s son, Dana. They played youth football together, so White almost became a family member to Nacua with how close they became.

During an interview with Julian Edelman on “Games With Names,” White talked about his ties to Nacua and how proud he is to see all that the Rams receiver has accomplished.

“My kids grew up with Puka. He grew up in our house,” White said before Edelman asked, “Was he ballin’?”

“Ballin’. Me and Lorenzo used to fund a team called the ‘Little Cowboys’ and he was on the ‘Little Cowboys’ with my kids and a bunch of other guys that are playing right now,” White said. “There’s a few kids that went to the NFL from that team, and good colleges, too. To see Puka doing what he’s doing now, it could not happen to a better human being.”

“When you meet this kid, you will love this kid. He’s such a good kid.”

Coach David White shared a photo on Twitter four years ago that has White’s son, Dana, and Nacua wearing their Little Cowboys uniforms. Little did anyone know, Nacua would go on to become a star in the NFL.

White congratulated Nacua in January when he broke the rookie receptions and receiving yards record in Week 18 against the 49ers, sharing just how proud and happy he is for the Rams wideout.

Last year, the Rams did a rookie challenge where he had to call the most famous person in his phone. Humbly, Nacua dialed up Uncle Dana White, who answered and couldn’t have been more excited about it.

“I love seeing you in the Rams gear! I’m so proud of you, man.”

Not every rookie in the NFL can casually FaceTime the UFC president but Nacua goes way back with White and his family, which is awesome.

Rams’ 2023 rookie class ranked 3rd by NFL.com, which is still too low

The Rams’ 2023 rookie class was ranked third in the NFL, but even that’s too low

The Los Angeles Rams needed an impactful rookie class in 2023 after kicking off their roster rebuild and they hit a home run. Despite not having a first-round pick, the Rams came away with a draft class that helped them secure a wild-card spot and nearly upset the Lions in the first round of the playoffs.

Puka Nacua had the best rookie season ever by a wide receiver, setting multiple records, while Kobie Turner led all rookies with nine sacks – as a defensive tackle, no less. Fellow third-round pick Byron Young finished second among all rookies with eight sacks, too. And that’s without even mentioning their top pick, Steve Avila, who didn’t miss a single snap all year.

NFL.com ranked every draft class from 2023 and shockingly, the Rams weren’t first or second. They were ranked third, but even that’s too low. The Texans earned the top spot and the Steelers were ranked second.

The Rams haven’t had a first-round pick since they took Jared Goff first overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, but general manager Les Snead scored a highly productive haul with his 2023 rookie class, which was studded with multiple first-year standouts.

It’s understandable that the Texans would be ranked ahead of the Rams after C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. won Rookie of the Year awards. However, it’s really hard to make the case that the Steelers’ rookie class was better than the Rams’.

From top to bottom, the Rams had five rookies who played a pivotal role for them. Davis Allen did a nice job filling in at tight end when Tyler Higbee was injured, too. How each class turns out in the next three or four years remains to be seen, but just based on rookie impact, the Rams had the better draft.