Puka Nacua impresses rookie Jared Verse in his NFL return – Deseret News

It didn't take long for Puka Nacua to make a strong impression on his rookie teammate Jared Verse.

Verse, a linebacker, was caught on the microphone during the Los Angeles Rams' 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, and his reactions to Nacua's performance in the game were most recently shared by the Rams on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This man, 17, bad. This man, 17, evil. This man, 17, is evil,” Verse said in the video.

It's unclear what play Verse, who had 1.5 sacks in the game, was reacting to, but the rookie was clearly impressed with Nacua's performance.

“Bro, this man is different. Seeing him on TV and in person are two different things — very different,” Verse said later in the video to Rams linebacker Byron Young, who was sitting next to him on the bench.

Young, a second-year pro, seemed to agree with Verse's statements about Nacua, nodding along often.

Young then smiled and recounted verses about playing with Nacua last year. Verses replied, “Yes, I know.”

Puka Nacua's appearance in Week 8

Nacua made his long-awaited return to the football field on Thursday and did not disappoint.

The second-year pro led the Rams' receivers with seven yards and receiving yards with 106 yards. According to RamsWire, he played just 57% of the offensive snaps.

It was the former BYU Cougar's eighth 100-yard NFL game, the Deseret News previously reported.

Nacua had been activated just hours before the game and had only participated in two limited practices in the week leading up to Thursday's game.

“It's definitely going to be a rollercoaster of emotions this week, I'm starting on Monday and I'm like, 'Man, I'm not going to do a padded workout before I go out and play on Thursday,' and I'm just relying on my coaches and…” “My teammates are able to take all the walk-through reps and try to pay attention,” Nacua said on Amazon Prime’s postgame show, as previously reported by the Deseret News.