PITTSBURGH — A familiar face was on hand when the Rams opened the on-field phase of their offseason program on Monday. Puka Nacua, their star wide receiver, is taking part in the program after entering a rehabilitation facility last month.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Nacua will be a full participant in the program and that it was “Great to be able to see him.”
McVay did not delve much into Nacua’s situation or any conversations he and his wide receiver have had, but did say that he and Nacua “have a great relationship” and that he feels “really good about kind of the direction that we’re going.”
In many ways, though, Nacua’s presence at the club’s Woodland Hills practice facility is also a reminder of the long-term future of their wide receiver room. And how their first round pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, which lands at No. 13 thanks to a shrewd 2024 draft-day trade they made with the Falcons, can help enhance that position.
Assuming everything checks out with Nacua, who checked himself into rehab after a series of off-field incidents, he and the Rams are likely to extend their relationship on a long-term contract extension. Based on his on-field production, including the league-leading 129 catches he posted last year for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, he is on target to sign the richest wide receiver contract in NFL history.
Beyond Nacua, though, there is short-term and long-range uncertainty.
Davante Adams will turn 34-years old in December and is entering the last year of his contract. Finding a replacement for him is high on the Rams’ list of priorities.
But so too is adding someone who can slide in alongside Nacua and Adams and contribute as soon as possible.
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In present form, the Rams have a top-three NFL roster and legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. But they’d be even more formidable if McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford had yet another explosive playmaker to tap into.
That brings us to Thursday’s first round, and the very real opportunity the Rams have to add a player who fits that bill perfectly.
That is, provided things break right for them over the first 12 picks of the draft. If so, the Rams could be choosing among two potential day-one starting wide receivers and possibly three.
As McVay pointed out, the Rams “don’t control what happens in those 12 picks before.”
Nevertheless, the way the draft board is shaping up, the club could be deciding between Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon, and at the very least, be in a position to draft one of them.
For different reasons, both would fit well in the Rams’ offense.
Tyson as a big, physical vertical threat, and Lemon as a stout, do-it-all weapon like Golden Tate or Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“We’re eager to add a really good player at 13,” said McVay. “Whether that’s offensive skill, whether that’s defensive guys. I think there are a lot of players that you look at that you feel really good about.”
Rams general manager Les Snead mentioned wide receiver as a possibility at No. 13, although he did say other positions would be in play as well.
“The sea shapes the ship,” is how Snead put it.
As it relates to wide receiver, though, the Rams have clearly done their homework.
Lemon, in particular, has been a person of interest for some time, given the proximity between USC and the Rams. In fact, Snead’s son and daughter are both students at USC, so he caught a bunch of Trojans games simply by being a dad.
“I’ve lived and died in Trojan football, so I can say this, as a fan, as a father with two kids there, it was fun when you saw the ball go up and it was heading toward Lemon’s hands,” Snead said. “You always felt like he’d bring it down.”
Playing alongside Nacua and Adams, Lemon would likely get a bunch of chances to do the same thing for the Rams.
