A big-named wide receiver prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft is drawing comparisons to Los Angeles Rams superstar Puka Nacua.
Last year, the Rams struck gold when they selected Puka Nacua in the fifth round (177th overall) in the NFL Draft. Nacua exceeded expectations and led all rookies in receptions (105), receiving yards (1,486), guiding Los Angeles to a 10-win season and surprise return to the NFL postseason.
The good folks at The 33rd Team did some in-depth research and noticed that USC wideout Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, has shockingly similar comparisons to Nacua:
Those are certainly some fascinating comparisons, but there are other factors that need to be considered here. Puka Nacua landed with one of the game’s elite offensive-minded head coaches in Sean McVay and immediately formed strong chemistry with Matthew Stafford.
In the case of Rice, it will largely depend on the system and quarterback he lands in. If a team with a lackluster QB situation drafts Rice, the son of the three-time Super Bowl champion may struggle to hit his full ceiling.
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The 2024 NFL Draft class is loaded with can’t-miss wide receiver prospects. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., Washington’s Rome Odunze and LSU’s Malik Nabers are the consensus top-three WRs in the class.
The second-tier of wide receiver prospects includes LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy of Texas and Keon Coleman of Florida State.
Puka Nacua Is One Of The Top Draft Steals In Recent Memory
It was easy to overlook Puka Nacua heading into last year’s draft, largely because of how deep the WR class was. This included Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jordan Addison, Zay Flowers, Quentin Johnston, Rashee Rice, Marvin Mims and Tank Dell.
But with Cooper Kupp again missing a chunk of the season due to injury, Nacua emerged as the new go-to player in the Rams’ offense. Like Kupp (a third-round pick in 2017), Nacua wasn’t highly-touted entering the draft. Lo and behold, the Rams once again hit the jackpot by taking a chance on a lesser-known pass-catcher who immediately outperformed his draft spot.
