The murmur begins at the moment Puka Nácua turns a corner and enters the field at Loyola Marymount.
“There he is!”
It quickly erupts into almost hysterical calls of recognition, amplified every time the sheep receiver makes a play during practice.
“Puka! Puka!”
At the end of training, when Nacua trots in front of the stands filled with fans wearing number 17 jerseys, the cacophony becomes a sustained crescendo.
“Puuu-ka!”
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“This is the best energy,” Nacua said of the training camp atmosphere.
Nacua, 23, is coming off a record-setting rookie season in 2023.
With star receiver and mentor Cooper Kupp Sidelined for the first four games due to a hamstring injury, fifth-round draft pick Nacua stepped in as a defender. Matthew Staffordfavorite target.
Using a physical style and acrobatic body control, Nacua made 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. His appearance helped the Rams finish the season with a better-than-expected 10-7 record and a playoff appearance.
Nacua had a busy offseason. He attended Pro Bowl games in Florida, participated in NFL Honors at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas and played in the celebrity game during NBA All-Star weekend in Indiana.
While a lot has changed for him — he signed with Nike’s Jordan Brand, among other endorsements — Nacua has remained humble, coach Sean McVay said.
“He’s still the same guy,” McVay said, adding, “He has this authenticity… because everyone loves him.
“But when he gets between those white lines, he’s a maniac.”
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Nacua credits Kupp for providing the example of success.
“I have five brothers in my family, but I feel like Coop was the brother I never knew I had,” Nacua said. “It’s been a huge blessing to be able to have someone who has been in the L.A. environment longer than I have and who has kind of cleared the waters for me and steered me in the right direction.”
Shortly after the Lions eliminated the Rams in an NFL wild-card playoff game, Kupp invited Nacua to join him for daily 6 a.m. offseason workouts. The intensity of conditioning with the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year initially made Nacua queasy.
But he quickly adapted.
“He knows that … one of the hardest things is having success early and then being able to continue to push and say there’s more out there,” said Kupp, an eighth-year pro. “He did a great job and put the right foot forward so he can get ready to do something very special this year.”
Improving route running efficiency and eliminating dropbacks — he led the NFL with 13 — were Nacua’s main goals this offseason.
Nacua cut back on junk food and worked on the field and in the weight room to get his body leaner. Last season, the 6-foot-1 Nacua said he sometimes weighed 200 pounds. Now he weighs 210.
Nacua displays his work with pride, according to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
“I was messing with him,” LaFleur said. “Last year he wore a long T-shirt. This year, after training with Cooper in the off-season, he wants to show off his washboard a little.”
Nacua does not disagree.
Body control, already a strength, has been taken to the “next level” with a refined physique, he said.
Receivers coach Eric Yarber told Nacua the change was evident, joking that Nacua’s stomach was no longer moving in the opposite direction when he made a cut downfield.
“It might have been a backhanded compliment,” Nacua said, laughing, “but I think it’s a good thing.”
Eliminating falls is the next step, Yarber said.
Nacua specializes in concentration before difficult catches.
“I want him to focus on the easy catches as well as the difficult catches,” Yarber said. “Use the fundamentals you’re supposed to use and then go to the field.”
Kupp and Nacua are what Yarber described as a “1-2 punch” for a receiving corps that also features veterans Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington.
Stafford, preparing for his 16th NFL season, looked smart dishing out passes to all of them.
“All these guys are just intrinsically motivated guys who come out there and work hard,” he said of the returning receivers. “They are trying hard. They’re putting pressure on the guys in the room and in turn putting pressure on our team because they’re improving our defense.”
The Rams are still more than a month away from traveling to Detroit for their Sept. 8 opener against the Lions.
Nacua is the most outstanding young player on a Rams team that has several. Center Steve Avila, offensive lineman Kobie Turner and edge rusher Byron Young are other second-year pros returning starters.
The young players and veterans lifted Nacua up and helped him prepare for what comes next.
“Because of the people around me,” he said, “I could feel like I was able to make more progress from where I was last year…and keep moving forward.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
