Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Did the Rams Miss Out on the Next Puka Nacua?

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Rams have a well documented history in the Sean McVay era of selecting non-first round wide receivers, developing them into some of the best playmakers in the NFL.

Cooper Kupp, third-round pick turned triple crown winner, 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl LVI MVP.

Van Jefferson, second-round pick. Super Bowl hero. Best years of production with the Rams.

Puka Nacua, fifth-round pick. NFL rookie record breaker, one of the best receivers in the NFL.

And in 2025, seventh-round rookie Konata Mumpfield, who virtually secured his roster spot long before the preseason finale.

However, one of the men behind the Rams turnaround, Brad Holmes, may have drafted the next Puka Nacua. Holmes, a former Rams executive and Detroit Lions general manager, selected Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the third round.

In a piece by Detroit Lions on SI's John Maakaron, he claims TeSlaa is looking like the next Puka Nacua.

"Holmes, who shared recently he had Nacua rated pretty high back in 2023, indicated the 23-year-old was his favorite wide receiver he evaluated coming out in this year's draft," wrote Maakaron.

TeSlaa, who preaches the same approach to the game as Nacua, has been a star, displaying the pass-catching ability, physicality, and ball carrier vision that has made Nacua a beloved member of the Rams organization and a star in the NFL.

TeSlaa commented on Holmes' vote of confidence in him

"It means a lot. I think the biggest thing for them was just watching the way I was at the Senior Bowl. I remember Brad Holmes talking about the way I was blocking. That’s just kind of the mentality I’ve always had, even if I’m not getting the targets I’m going to be out there, blocking safeties, getting it in the run game," TeSlaa said. "He said I wasn’t the most talented receiver, he said I was his favorite. I mean that’s fair. For me, it’s just the way I play the game and I think they saw that and they really appreciated that.”

In the 2025 preseason, TeSlaa had ten receptions, 146 yards, and three touchdowns. Since leaving the Rams, Holmes had gone on to draft both Amon Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Both are 1000-yard receivers.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: