Rams' Stars Puka Nacua, Jared Verse Honored With Prestigious Ranking

The Los Angeles Rams have a roster that is in incredible shape due to the front office successfully drafting young talents over the past several years. The Rams once again have hit on two of the most successful players under the age of 25 years of age in Puka Nacua and Jared Verse.

Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri has named both members of the Rams within his top ten players under 25 list, with Nacua coming in second behind Detroit's Penei Sewell, and Jared Verse coming in sixth, the highest ranked defensive lineman and second highest ranked second year player behind NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels.

Nacua has been a pillar for the Rams since his first official snaps in Seattle during the 2023 season. If there is anything the Rams can pinpoint to in regards to their success following a disastoruous 2022 season, it's Nacua.

"Nacua burst onto the scene in 2023 as a fifth-round rookie," wrote Macri. "Making an immediate impact as a high-end target earner and elite receiving weapon for the Rams. He has yet to look back."

"Through two seasons, Nacua has delivered a 92.4 PFF receiving grade and 2.92 yards per route run — both of which lead all qualifying players for this list and rank second among all players overall during that span. Even though he missed time with injuries in 2024, Nacua made the most of his opportunities, leading the position in PFF receiving grade (92.6) and yards per route run (3.23) as 2024’s most efficient receiver."

In 2023, Nacua smashed the NFL rookie records for receptions and receiving yards as he led the Rams to the playoffs. In 2024, after returning from injury, Nacua averaged numbers for receptions and receiving yards that were on pace with triple crown winner Ja'Marr Chase, helping the Rams win the NFC West.

How did the Rams lose Aaron Donald and yet continue to dominate up front? Jared Verse certainly helped.

"The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year finished the 2024 season with 89 quarterback pressures — the most in the league — and managed a top-10 PFF grade in all three major defensive categories for the position (overall, run defense and pass rush)."

"Verse also generated the fifth-most PFF WAR (0.42) for his position, putting him in elite company alongside Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt. He didn’t finish as a league leader in the sack column, but that shouldn’t discount just how dominant he was on a play-to-play basis, evidenced by his top-10 PFF pass-rush grade and sixth-best win rate (19.7%) among defensive linemen."

Two stars shining bright as they enter what could the Rams greatest season ever.