Puka Nacua being underranked at 54 was only the start of the problem
Puka Nacua is one of the top-50 players in the NFL today, if not top-20, but he was not ranked that high by Lou Scataglia at NFL Spin Zone this week. In a ranking of the top-100 players, Nacua checked in at number 56, which is at least 30 spots too low for the NFL’s fourth-leading receiver over the past two seasons in terms of yards per game.
No explanation was given as to why Puka failed to make the top-50, sandwiched in between Christian Gonzalez and Xavier McKinney. Which team would rather have either of those players over Puka in any universe?
Puka Nacua has been a total gem of a draft pick for the Los Angeles Rams. Nacua has been among the most productive wide receivers in the NFL in his two-year NFL career.
Nacua has averaged 88.4 yard per game in the last two seasons, fourth in the league behind Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and Ja’Marr Chase.
But Nacua was ranked lower than Amon-Ra St. Brown, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas, Tyreek Hill, and A.J. Brown.
Lamb was 19th, Chase was 4th, and Jefferson was 2nd. Lamar Jackson ranked first.
How could Nacua be so far behind three receivers who he has been comparably productive against in the last two years — despite having much less experience — when Chase and Jefferson both made the top-4 for their efforts?
Maybe it has something to do with being on the L.A. Rams. Because Jared Verse was the only other player on the roster to make Scataglia’s top-100, with Verse ranking 54th.
That means that Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, Kevin Dotson, Kyren Williams, and Braden Fiske all failed to make this top-100 list.