Rams WR Puka Nacua leaning on Cooper Kupp to help him gear up for Year 2

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Puka Nacua is on his way to being best buds with Cooper Kupp.

“I wouldn’t consider us best friends, but hopefully I’m close to it,” Nacua said. “I think I’ve got to be considered in the close friend relationship, for sure.” 

But the second-year Rams receiver still has some steps to take on the journey. 

Kupp invited Nacua to train with him this offseason at his Southern California home and at first, Nacua didn’t exactly ingratiate himself to his fellow receiver. During the first week of training, Nacua said he puked on Kupp’s grass because of the intense workouts.

“His conditioning days were some of the tougher ones,” Nacua said. “The first week I came back out, I think I threw up every day of the week. And he wasn’t a fan of that because it was on his lawn and stuff. He was like, ‘You’re throwing up in my bushes Puka, thanks.’ But it was super fun.”

Nacua said he eventually got back into shape, working out with Kupp for two months after the season. The workouts focused on improving mobility and explosive, top-end speed. Improving his nutrition has also been a point of emphasis for Nacua, with a little less McDonald’s to avoid the puking after Kupp’s 6 a.m. workouts. 

This week Nacua joined the rest of his teammates for the start of offseason work at Rams headquarters. He is coming off one of the best performances by a rookie receiver in league history. With 105 receptions for 1,486 receiving yards, he finished with the most receptions and receiving yards in the NFL. He had seven games of 100-plus receiving yards, joining Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Ja’Marr Chase (2022) as the only players to accomplish that during their rookie years. Nacua was particularly effective against zone coverage, finishing with 974 yards, according to Next Gen Stats, the most by a rookie over the past six seasons. 

Nacua was selected as a second-team All-Pro and a finalist for…

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Publish date : 2024-04-16 17:34:12

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