Coming into this season, it looked like Puka Nacua and the Los Angeles Rams were in decay, and many expected them to be an awful team.

They had lost standout linebacker Bobby Wagner and traded away star cornerback Jalen Ramsey during the offseason, and star wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been unable to play because of a hamstring injury.

But the Rams have apparently found a gem in Nacua.

The fifth-round draft pick out of Brigham Young University has 501 receiving yards through four games, and he has enabled Los Angeles to get off to a decent 2-2 start. He’s even leading the league right now with 39 receptions, and his 75 percent catch rate is superb.

But what makes his production even more impressive is the number of established star wideouts that he’s currently beating out in numerous statistical departments.

In his debut against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, Puka Nacua had 119 yards, and in Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, he put up 163 yards on just nine catches while scoring his first NFL touchdown.

Only Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings currently has more receiving yards than him.

Nacua’s success this year has been totally unexpected, especially when one considers he had just 625 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his last year at BYU and 805 yards and six touchdowns the year prior to that. But that success has allowed the Rams to rank second in the NFL in passing yards.

It’s way too early to make plans for them to be participating in the playoffs this January, as their running game is anemic and their running defense has left something to be desired. But at the very least, they have apparently found a major building block for the future, and this is a franchise that has to have an eye on the future, as quarterback Matthew Stafford is 35 and struggling to start this season.

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