Puka Nacua
A fifth-round draft pick who shattered rookie receiving records, announcing himself as the NFL's next great wideout with a breathtaking first season.
Born 2001 (age 25)·American football player·Birthday: May 29·Generation Z
Biography
Puka Nacua's journey to the NFL record books was anything but straightforward. A standout high school athlete in Utah, he began his college career at the University of Washington before transferring to BYU, where his powerful, physical style of play began to turn heads. Despite a productive final college season, NFL scouts had reservations, leading to his selection by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 draft—a slot typically reserved for developmental prospects. What happened next defied all convention. Thrust into a starting role due to injury, Nacua immediately showcased an almost preternatural chemistry with quarterback Matthew Stafford. He played with a relentless, joyful violence, fighting for extra yards after every catch. By season's end, he had rewritten the league's rookie record book for receptions and receiving yards, earning a Pro Bowl nod and establishing himself not as a pleasant surprise, but as a foundational star for the Rams' next chapter.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Puka was born in 2001, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Puka Was Born
The biggest hits of 2001
#1 Movie
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Best Picture
A Beautiful Mind
#1 TV Show
Survivor
Puka's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2001Born
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2006Started school
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2014Became a teenager
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Could drive
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2019Could vote
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2022Turned 21
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 25 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Set the NFL rookie record for both receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) in the 2023 season.
- Earned Pro Bowl honors and was named a second-team All-Pro in his debut NFL season.
- Selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round (177th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Did You Know?
His first name, Puka, means 'hole' in Hawaiian and was given to him by his grandmother because he was born with a hole in his ear.
He played both wide receiver and safety in high school and was a highly-touted multi-sport athlete.
He is of Hawaiian and Samoan descent, and his older brother, Samson, also played wide receiver at BYU.
“I just want to be the most reliable guy on the field.”
