Inside Rams WR Puka Nacua’s first offseason as an L.A. superstar

IN THE MONTH after Puka Nacua ended his first NFL season with essentially the most rookie receiving yards in league historical past, the Los Angeles Rams receiver was having enjoyable.

He was having fun with the perks that include going from a fifth-round pick of BYU to breaking a report that had stood for 63 years. He rode a Zamboni throughout a Los Angeles Kings sport, performed in his first Professional Bowl and spent Tremendous Bowl week in Las Vegas.

Then the Thursday earlier than the Tremendous Bowl he acquired a textual content from fellow Rams receiver Cooper Kupp:

Hey, I am beginning again up on Monday morning. I do know you could be out of city, however while you get again on the town, we’ll get proper to it.

“I am considering like, man, Cooper’s already beginning to work out,” Nacua stated.

However Nacua thought again to the dialog he’d had with broad receivers coach Eric Yarber after the Rams wrapped the season with a playoff loss to the Detroit Lions within the wild-card spherical. They talked about how the receiver may take the following step after his breakout rookie season.

“The very first thing I needed him to do is maintain on to Cooper Kupp’s coattails and practice with him and do every thing he does,” Yarber stated. “And he took that to coronary heart.”

Whereas Nacua had loads of enjoyable after the Tremendous Bowl — together with dunking within the NBA All-Star superstar sport and sitting courtside at each an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas and a Los Angeles Lakers sport — Kupp’s textual content was the turning level in his offseason.

Beginning with early morning exercises at Kupp’s home, Nacua rebuilt his physique and centered on his diet, all in an effort to construct on a rookie season wherein he completed with 105 catches for 1,486 yards and 6 touchdowns. Nacua set the rookie receiving yardage report beforehand held by Invoice Groman, who had 1,473 receiving yards in a 14-game season in 1960. Nacua’s 105 receptions broke a newer report, one set by Miami Dolphins broad receiver Jaylen Waddle in 2021 when he completed the season with 104.

“His physique is completely totally different,” Yarber stated. “He seems similar to Cooper. He is misplaced a lot physique fats and gained a lot lean muscle, which enabled him to maneuver extra effectively now. And he has higher physique management. However he did precisely what I stated.

“And also you’re seeing a number of the outcomes proper now.”

KUPP HAD A exercise schedule: 6 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday — the tougher exercises, Nacua stated — and midday Tuesday and Thursday. And if Kupp wanted to be some place else that day, “We had been going an additional hour early,” Nacua stated.

“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, we’ll miss our exercises,'” Nacua stated. “[He’d say,] ‘I am leaving at 7:30, be right here at 5:30 or be right here at 5.'”

The exercises passed off earlier than the beginning of the Rams’ offseason program and had been a mixture of mobility work, to remain explosive, and dealing on their top-end pace. After which Kupp’s conditioning days, Nacua stated, “had been a number of the harder ones.” Which is why sooner or later each morning for the primary week, Nacua threw up on Kupp’s garden.

“He did not exaggerate,” Kupp stated. “The primary few days had been fairly tough for him. They had been fairly tough.

“He saved coming again, he saved exhibiting up on time, able to go, nice perspective, able to get to work. And I feel that speaks quite a bit too concerning the man that Puka is, pushing by way of some actually robust stuff early on after which with the ability to simply sort of take it in stride and develop.”

And since Nacua needed to remain within the Los Angeles space as a lot as he may so he would not miss any exercises with Kupp, he requested his household to return to California to go to as an alternative of spending extra time in Utah. Which is how his youngest brother Tei, a large receiver who’s dedicated to BYU, got here to work out with Puka and Kupp on one among their simpler exercises.

“And my little brother threw up on the restoration day,” Nacua stated. “However not on Coop’s garden. In Coop’s lavatory. I simply bear in mind being like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’ll get me kicked out of Coop’s. They’re by no means going to let me within the gate ever once more.’

“‘I used to be like, ‘All you needed to do was make it out to the garden, bro. We’re already figuring out outdoors. All you needed to do was take 5 further steps, bro.’ It was actually unhealthy. That was the one I nonetheless take into consideration.”

Not solely did Nacua respect becoming a member of Kupp’s exercises, however he stated it additionally gave him the flexibility to “watch the method of what an offseason sort of seems like from probably the greatest within the league.” Kupp is “the mastermind of working routes,” Nacua stated, and “was very open and trustworthy with me and the place I can enhance.”

“I am making an attempt to nonetheless attain Coop’s expectations as a result of he set the usual for us within the broad receiver room and I feel for lots of receivers within the NFL,” Nacua stated “… The usual remains to be set very excessive. I do not suppose I am near reaching it, but it surely made it enjoyable as a result of I do know that there is extra to seize.

“I really feel final 12 months was a lot enjoyable and I realized quite a bit, however there’s nonetheless a lot stuff on the desk.”

A type of issues he has realized isn’t solely the way to work out exhausting, however the way to get better after, one thing that’s much more essential throughout a 17-game season.

“Each of them do not concern exhausting work they usually do not complain about exhausting work, but it surely’s all concerning the restoration,” Yarber stated, “And Cooper has confirmed him the way to care for his physique and get better from all of the exhausting work.”

PART OF THAT restoration course of, Nacua realized, was consuming proper. Whereas he stated he ate a number of quick meals final season, he has realized how necessary his food regimen is to how shortly he can get better after a exercise.

A few of that’s chopping again on the fried meals and watching the inflammatory meals and quantity of dense meals he is placing into his physique, together with rice and taro, two meals prevalent in his Polynesian tradition. To this point, his adjustment has been to attempt to discover a good stability by limiting himself to having these forms of meals as soon as every week.

“My diet positively did change after beginning exercises [with Kupp] as a result of I used to be like, ‘Hey, I can not hold exhibiting up at 6 a.m. and throwing up,” Nacua stated. “So I used to be like perhaps I am going to wait to eat after.”

That stability is a far cry to how he ate at factors through the “whirlwind” of the 2023 season, he stated. He’d drive house from the staff’s facility at California Lutheran College and see Burger King, Jack within the Field or his favourite, McDonald’s.

“It was a comfort factor for me,” Nacua stated. “I used to be like, ‘I do not need to eat at house. I am drained. I am not going to sit down and make a meal.’ However I simply realized, man, that further 5 minutes it takes to both make one thing at house or simply put these things on the grill actual fast, it makes the meals actually style a bit of higher.”

The self-proclaimed “choosy eater” stated he appreciated the way in which the Rams’ dietary workers has been in a position to plan round issues he likes — making an attempt to keep away from vegatables and fruits as a lot as he can.

“[They’ve been] in a position to nonetheless set a sport plan across the issues that I like and be like, ‘OK, as an alternative of going to get fast carbs of fries, what are the issues that we will do?'” Nacua stated. “I imply I am not large on fruit or greens both, however discovering the opposite methods I can get those self same vitamins from more healthy meals that can pay me advantages as an alternative of simply being full in the meanwhile.”

The mixture of exercises with Kupp and consuming extra like him too has led Nacua to shed at the least 10 kilos this offseason. At the beginning of the offseason program, he stated he was round 210 kilos, down from the 220 he was taking part in at for many of final season.

“I really feel like I acquired slimmer in my physique fats and simply feeling extra agency within the weight I am at,” Nacua stated. “I misplaced a pair kilos right here and there, but it surely feels good to see some muscle tissues. I do not suppose I used to be fats final 12 months, however a bit of extra muscle definition is at all times good.”

ONCE THE RAMS stepped on the sphere for the second part of their offseason program, Nacua seen a distinction in what his rebuilt physique allowed him to do.

A 12 months in the past, he stated, he felt like he was “slipping and sliding round,” probably not feeling like he was placing his foot within the floor. Now, he notices that he is transferring cleaner and seems like he is “much more beneath management” whereas placing his foot within the floor and altering route.

“That rookie [season], you are simply spinning,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur stated. “You may have a lot. You get drafted and subsequent factor you realize, you are already at a facility following the routine that we’ve got put ahead. And I do not know what number of weeks [Kupp and Nacua] took off, but it surely did not seem to be a lot as a result of once they had been sort of strolling round right here in March and February, they regarded good from simply their physique [composition].”

When speaking about his record-breaking rookie season, Nacua pointed on the market’s lots he needs to enhance, saying he led the league in drops final 12 months.

“I do know I can appropriate these errors and with the ability to watch the ball in additional and to snag each ball that comes my method,” Nacua stated. “… So to be prepared and ready each Sunday is the aim that I’ve.”

And whereas Yarber was fast to say Nacua is tough on himself as a result of he had 160 targets, which was tied for the sixth most within the league final season and by far essentially the most for a rookie, he acknowledged a number of Nacua’s drops may have been eradicated.

“I’ve simply seen him work on his weaknesses,” Yarber stated. “A few of his weaknesses had been his physique management. He is realized the way to management his physique and he realized the way to fall, realized the way to torque his physique, and he realized the way to lower off the right foot on a regular basis.

“However he is extra basically sound now.”

In mid-April, Nacua was requested how he plans to copy his rookie season. His aim final season, he stated, wasn’t to interrupt the rookie report. It was to “be there each Sunday and for my staff and to indicate up within the ways in which they will ask me.”

“And that is one thing I’ve set for the usual for myself is to play in all 17 video games, the common season and to be prepared to finish wholesome sufficient to play within the playoffs,” Nacua stated. “And that is what I really feel like has been very on the forefront of my thoughts. Attempt to management the issues I can.”

Regardless of the additional consideration Nacua will get, with out the advantage of the way in which he “snuck out final 12 months,” Yarber stated, the way in which the receiver has ready hasn’t gone unnoticed within the Rams constructing.

“There was clearly a number of accolades that got here with the manufacturing that he had, however that is accompanied with an genuine humility,” coach Sean McVay stated.

“I’ve seen a man that is actually persevering with to grow to be much more of a professional. Caring for his physique, getting on a extra disciplined food regimen, the way in which that he is come out right here and labored exhausting, the way in which that he is simply so receptive to teaching, but in addition incomes that confidence.”