• A Week 11 reminder: Kupp and Nacua combined for 229 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots, a reminder of their dominance when healthy.
• Health has been the only roadblock: Nacua and Kupp have both missed significant time due to injuries over the past two seasons.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
It’s not every day that an NFL franchise hits on two mid-to-late-round wide receivers in a short span, but that’s what the Los Angeles Rams did when they drafted Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp in the third round in 2017 and BYU's Puka Nacua in the fifth round in 2023.
Kupp established himself as arguably the most accomplished receiver in college football history while at Eastern Washington, a program most known for its red turf. Kupp is college football’s all-time leading receiver, with 6,464 career receiving yards, and holds FCS records for receiving touchdowns (73), catches (428), receiving yards per game (124.3), touchdowns per game (1.4), games with at least 100 receiving yards (31), career points (395) and consecutive games with a reception (52). Despite Kupp's name littering the NCAA record books, the lesser competition pushed him to the 69th selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Cooper Kupp's Senior Season at Eastern Washington
Kupp immediately proved himself to be a difference-maker. He caught 62 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns with a 78.2 PFF receiving grade, despite starting six of 15 games played. His first 1000-yard season came in 2019 when he caught 94 passes for 1,161 yards, 10 scores and a 76.1 PFF receiving grade.
But it wasn’t until the Rams acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Lions ahead of the 2021 season that Kupp became one of the game’s deadliest pass-catching threats. His 2021 campaign was arguably the greatest season ever by a wide receiver, as he caught 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, all of which led the NFL. In fact, Kupp’s winning of the wide receiver triple crown was only the fourth such instance in NFL history, the others being Jerry Rice (twice) and Steve Smith Sr. He also earned an elite 93.1 PFF receiving grade. Kupp then built on that success in the postseason, helping lead the Rams to their second-ever Super Bowl victory while he garnered game MVP honors.
Injuries have hampered Kupp’s success since his historic 2021 season, but when on the field, he has maintained high-quality production, never dipping below a 71.1 season-long PFF receiving grade and never tallying fewer than 500 receiving yards.
Puka Nacua is a bit of a different story. He played well at BYU but wasn’t nearly the dominant force of Kupp. While he boasted an excellent 90.1 PFF receiving grade in his final season, his more traditional stats were less spectacular, as he caught 49 passes for 629 yards and five scores while missing three regular-season games. The Rams drafted Nacua with the 179th overall selection in the fifth round.
His 2023 rookie season was one for the ages.
With Kupp not 100% for much of the year due to injury, Nacua had arguably the greatest rookie wide receiver season ever and would have won Offensive Rookie of the Year if not for C.J. Stroud.
Nacua's 1,486 receiving yards broke Ja’Marr Chase’s rookie record, and he also hauled in 105 passes and six touchdowns with an 89.3 PFF receiving grade — all helping the Rams clinch a surprise playoff berth.
Injuries have limited Kupp and Nacua in 2024, but since each of their returns in Week 8, they’ve established themselves as one of the deadliest one-two punches in the game. Since returning from injury, Kupp boasts a 77.5 PFF receiving grade with 29 catches for 341 yards and three scores, going over 100 yards in two of the four games. Nacua has been even better, putting up an 88.2 PFF receiving grade after catching 24 passes for 338 yards and a touchdown.
Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua in 2024
Their dominance hit a new high in Week 11 against the New England Patriots. Kupp brought in six passes for 106 yards and two scores, one of which came when he burned Jonathan Jones in single coverage for 69 yards. Nacua dominated, as well, catching seven passes for 123 yards and a score of his own to the tune of a 92.2 PFF receiving grade.
The NFL’s 2023 leader in yards per route run was Tyreek Hill at 3.75, and Nico Collins was the only other receiver who went over 3. Against New England, Nacua averaged 5.35 and Kupp generated 4.82. Simply put, they gained just over 10 yards combined each time they ran a route, whether targeted or not.
While injuries have prevented us from getting a full year of the elite duo, this past Sunday was a glimpse into what could be the most dominant receiving tandem in the NFL.
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