With five receptions and 118 yards in a Week 17 win over the New York Giants, rookie receiver Puka Nacua is now just 29 yards short of breaking Bill Groman's rookie receiving yards record when he put up 1,473 yards in 1960. He is also four receptions short of breaking Jaylen Waddle's rookie receptions record. Nacua has a total of 101 receptions for 1,445 yards and five touchdowns and seven total 100-yard receiving games.

Despite 19 total receivers getting taken ahead of Nacua, the fifth-round pick is the standout of the season. Nacua is the second-leading favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, only behind Houston Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Even with all his success, Nacua humbly gave credit back to quarterback Matthew Stafford and teammate Cooper Kupp for setting the young wideout up for success.

“Matthew Stafford makes sure every ball he throws has a nice, tight spiral to it,” Nacua said on the Pat McAfee Show. “That's one of the easiest things as a receiver, when you see that football spinning nice and tight it makes it so much easier to track it … As soon as I see the ball come out of his hands I know where it's gonna be & he doesn't miss.”

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“Cooper Kupp has been the biggest help to me from the moment I stepped into the building,” Nacua also said to Pat McAfee.
“He has really given me all of the knowledge that he has in this offense, to win routes, the ability to understand coverage. He gave everything to me. When I asked questions, he made sure I understood it in-depth … He made the game so much easier.”

The one factor that could prevent Puka Nacua from breaking the rookie receptions and receiving yards record is if the Rams choose to rest their starters in Week 18 since they've already clinched a wildcard playoff berth and cannot rise in the standings. Even if Nacua breaks the record, it should come with an asterisk since Groman did it in 14 games compared to the 17 for Nacua.