Aaron Donald showed his greatness as a rookie, winning defensive rookie of the year after making nine sacks. The now-retired defensive tackle earned his first of 10 Pro Bowls in 10 seasons in 2014.
Donald got to watch receiver Puka Nacua show similar greatness in Nacua’s first season in 2023.
Nacua made 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns in a record-setting rookie year.
He earned his first of what Donald believes will be many Pro Bowls for Nacua.
“You see young guys that play and they fall off a little bit, but for him to stay as poised as he did through the whole season as far as, like, he became kind of a household name as a rookie and he didn’t change,” Donald said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast, via NFL.com. “He stayed the same person. He kept doing the same things every single week, bro, and it’s like if he stays like that and he stays hungry and if he wants to be great, in my opinion, I think he can do some things that [have] never been done in this league. He’s just got to keep working, but he was fun to watch. I really enjoyed watching him, all the awards he was able to surpass, and break records he was able to break as a rookie.”
No one expected Nacua to what he did considering the Rams made him a fifth-round pick, but since he did, now everyone, including Donald, is predicting a special career for him.
“From the first game, he was just consistent,” Donald said. “Then the Colts game, we ended up going into overtime, he ended up making the game-winning touchdown for us. He’s just been a consistent player since Day 1, and then he just got better and better and better. It’s like, God, I didn’t expect him to be, you know, the player he was this year. But in my opinion, to be honest with you, for any position, me personally watching, that’s probably one of the best rookie performances from any position that I got the opportunity to watch.”
