Puka Nacua in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: Sewageboy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Receiver, BYU (from Washington), 2019–⁠22

Puka Nacua

Number
No. 12
Height
6′2″
Weight
205 lb
Class (2022)
Junior
Hometown
Provo, UT
Born
May 29, 2001, in Las Vegas, Nevada

Wikipedia readers: about 105,472 a month over the past year

Puka Nacua played receiver at Washington (2019–⁠20) and BYU (2021–⁠22). The Los Angeles Rams took Nacua in round 5, No. 177 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
805
Receiving yards, 2021 (BYU, 10–⁠3)
Drafted
No. 177
Round 5, 2023 NFL Draft (Los Angeles Rams)

Career highs

2rushing touchdowns, career hightwice; last vs. Arkansas, 202214catches, career highat Boise State, 2022168receiving yards, career highat Baylor, 20212receiving touchdowns, career hightwice; last at Boise State, 2022

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2019Washington716824.0249
2020Washington915116.8165
2021BYU4380518.7655
2022BYU4862513.0546
Career1071,74916.31465

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2021BYU1414810.6028
2022BYU252098.4575
Career393579.2575

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2019Washington12WRYr 1
2020Washington12WRYr 2
2021BYU12WRYr 3
2022BYU12WRJr. (Yr 4)6′2″205

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2019Washington110.77––8.4–
2020Washington131.00––13.0–
2021BYU640.9586th (n=410)0.6760.59%
2022BYU840.7860th (n=683)0.7165.515%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2022 BYU 9 games, 48 catches, 625 yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 3atSouth FloridaW 50–⁠2112202276
Sep 24vs.WyomingW 38–⁠2432601314
Oct 8vs.Notre DameL 20–⁠28––––10
Oct 15vs.ArkansasL 35–⁠52814113320
Oct 22atLibertyL 14–⁠41711414614
Oct 28vs.East CarolinaL 24–⁠2777913022
Nov 5atBoise StateW 31–⁠28141572271
Nov 19vs.Utah TechW 52–⁠2655302114
Nov 26atStanfordW 35–⁠2633301338
2021 BYU 12 games, 43 catches, 805 yards, 6 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 11vs.UtahW 26–⁠17437013–
Sep 18vs.Arizona StateW 27–⁠17––––2
Sep 25vs.South FloridaW 35–⁠274102055–
Oct 1atUtah StateW 34–⁠2036204217
Oct 9vs.Boise StateL 17–⁠2647503716
Oct 16atBaylorL 24–⁠3851681529
Oct 23atWashington StateW 21–⁠19––––26
Oct 30vs.VirginiaW 66–⁠49810712628
Nov 6vs.Idaho StateW 59–⁠146120142–
Nov 20atGeorgia SouthernW 34–⁠1758324220
Nov 27atUSCW 35–⁠3134212810
Dec 18 ✦vs.UABL 28–⁠31190920
2020 Washington 3 games, 9 catches, 151 yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Nov 14vs.Oregon StateW 27–⁠21219013–
Nov 21vs.ArizonaW 44–⁠27165165–
Nov 28vs.UtahW 24–⁠21667015–
2019 Washington 3 games, 7 catches, 168 yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 14vs.Hawai’iW 52–⁠20128128–
Oct 12atArizonaW 51–⁠27397049–
Oct 19vs.OregonL 31–⁠35343133–

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

Played in the 2023 Senior Bowl (National team, won 27–⁠10).

DrillCombine 2023Combine or pro day 2023
Height6′1⅝″
Weight201 lb
Arm length31½″
Hand size9½″
Wingspan74⅞″W
40-yard dash4.57 s
10-yard split1.62 sW
Vertical jump33″
Broad jump10′1″
Bench press15 reps
3-cone drill7.32 s
20-yard shuttle4.36 s

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

4 seasons, 46 games with a stat; latest team: Los Angeles Rams.

Pro Bowls: 2 (2023, 2025) · First-team All-Pro (AP): 2025 · Second-team All-Pro (AP): 2023

All-Pro teams: AP first team 2025; AP second team 2023; Pro Football Writers first team 2025; Sporting News first team 2025.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2023Los Angeles Rams171051,4866
2024Los Angeles Rams11799903
2025Los Angeles Rams161291,71510
2026 (so far)Los Angeles Rams2141990
NFL career463274,39019

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat. Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.