Turf Show Times
NFL executives, coaches, and scouts don’t include Puka Nacua in their top-10 wide receivers
With training camps getting started next week, including the Los Angeles Rams on July 22, it is officially the period of the offseason in which media outlets will release their top-10 players at each position. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently polled NFL executives, coaches, and scouts to get a league consensus on the top-10 at each position. On Wednesday, Fowler released the top-10 wide receivers.
That list of top-10 wide receivers included:
Not included was Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua who only made it as an honorable mention. Said one AFC executive,
”Legitimate strength and hands and RAC ability, plays big in critical moments — probably doesn’t have the high-end ability as some of the others on the list.”
Over the past two seasons, Nacua has taken the NFL by storm, for him not to be in the top-10 is questionable to say the least. The NFL tends to be a year behind on players, but Nacua has been doing this for two seasons. As a rookie, he broke a receptions record that had stood for over 50 years. However, he followed that up by leading the NFL in yards per route last season. Nacua has been one of, if not the most, efficient wide receiver in the league.
The NFL almost values athleticism and athletic upside almost too much at times over production. It’s true that Nacua only played in 11 games, and it’s possible that hurts him. At the same time, comparing Nacua to Garrett Wilson who made the list and it’s still not close.
Using Wilson’s best 11 games and comparing them to Nacua’s and it’s the Rams wide receiver that still comes out on top. Nacua still leads Wilson in yards, receptions, yards per route, and yards per target.
When Nacua returned to action in Week 8 and until Week 17, he trailed on Chase in receptions and yards. Among receivers with more than 150 routes during that time period, Nacua still led the NFL in yards per route and this was all while being the most targeted wide receiver. From an analytics standpoint, Nacua had an 80+ percent success rate on 80 percent of the route tree last season. He was also in the 85th percentile in success rate against man coverage and 90th percentile against press.
One NFL defensive coach seemed to disagree with Nacua not being included. Said the coach, “I can’t believe he’s not in the top 10. He’s just got the ‘it’ factor.” At the end of the day, Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports and Reception Perception put it best,
“Puka Nacua is a fully fledged elite wide receiver. He is clearly in Tier 1 when ranking wideouts and belongs somewhere in your top six...
