2023 was a banner year for the rookie wide receiver in the NFL, headlined first and foremost by Rams WR Puka Nacua who set records for the most receptions and receiving yards by a first-year pass catcher in league history. The spotlight has rightly been placed on Puka all year long, as he established himself as a dominant wide receiver from day one in LA – but as out friend over on Twitter David J. Gautieri points out, it wasn’t just one or two receivers that made names for themselves in their rookie years.
Gautieri did the heavy lifting for this week’s stat of the day, bringing to light the fact that a record-high SEVEN rookie wide receivers tallied 60 or more receptions in 2023, a record for the most rookie receivers to cross that threshold in the same season. As mentioned earlier, Puka Nacua is the only wide receiver on the list to catch at least 100 passes (he snagged 114), but the rest of the receivers all contributed to their teams in their own right and were statistically significant in their first year in the NFL.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice took a while to get his feet underneath him in 2023, but once he did he was off to the races: from Week 12 on, Rice was third among all receivers in total receptions with 43. Even Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had to deal with competition from D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, was able to join the 60+ receptions club over a well-known Chargers 1st round pick in 2023…