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By Tyler Erzberger
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Puka Nacua is the face of the future for the Los Angeles Rams.
The former fifth-round draft pick is only in his third season but is already regarded as one of the best wide receivers in the league. He will face Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks this weekend in the NFC Championship, his rival for this year's Offensive Player of the Year Award in the NFL.
This summer, it has already been detailed that the Rams' brain trust has already circled Nacua's extension as the main priority. By the time he suits up for next season's opener, Nacua might be the highest-paid wideout in the league.
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But all of that almost didn't happen.
While the Rams made one of the best draft selections of all time in the latter rounds, one team almost poached the former BYU Cougar from Sean McVay and Les Snead.
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Before he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, longtime head coach John Harbaugh was reportedly a massive fan of Nacua, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Not only did Harbaugh think Nacua could be a player in the league, but he also wanted Nacua to be a player for his team.
Yet, during the 2023 NFL Draft, when the wide receiver was available through multiple rounds, the Ravens front office didn't want him. Although Nacua wasn't an unknown going into college, injuries and a poor showing at the combine plummeted his stock, scaring teams away from taking him.
“If he got his way, Puka Nacua would be a Raven," said Garafolo. "That was a guy John Harbaugh badly wanted the Ravens to draft, and they didn’t."
Instead, Nacua slid to McVay, he got picked up, and the overlooked player went on to have the greatest season for a rookie wide receiver in history. He's then followed it up with two more fantastic seasons, recently being named to First-Team All-Pro unanimously.
Next on Nacua's check list? His first Super Bowl appearance, which will be decided on Sunday in primetime against the Seahawks.
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