Las Vegas native discusses dream NFL rookie season — VIDEO

Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua learned fast he needed to be on his toes playing with Matthew Stafford.

He got a taste of what can happen if you lose focus for even a second playing with a quarterback who can deliver the ball whether his eyes are downfield or not.

“I remember running the back of the end zone (in) the first OTAs in the summer,” Nacua said during an appearance with the Review-Journal at Super Bowl 58 radio row. “I’m watching him but he’s not looking at me and in like 0.2 seconds, the ball hits me in the facemask. I was like, ‘Wait, what just happened?’”

Nacua, a Las Vegas native, proved to be a quick learner. He set NFL records for a rookie with 105 catches and 1,486 yards.

It was a dream start to his career.

“I had confidence in myself and trusted in the environment I was in that allowed me to thrive, but I couldn’t have imagined it being this sweet,” Nacua said.

The only thing that would have been better is capping off the year by playing in the first Super Bowl in his hometown. Nacua had to settle for making media appearances during the week instead.

“I still have a Vegas phone number,” Nacua said. “I was hoping to play my first Super Bowl here, but we’ll be back.”

Nacua addressed what it’s like to be a breakout star and discussed some of his favorite places in Las Vegas during the interview, which can be viewed in its entirety above.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.