CGC Featured Card of the Month: 2023 Panini Prizm #357 Puka Nacua Rookie Card

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Sport: Football

Set: 2023 Panini Prizm

Card: #357 Puka Nacua Rookie Card

What makes it special? Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is only in his third pro season in the NFL, but he's already become a league leader at his position. While the 24-year-old from Utah was not highly touted coming out of college, he was a star in his home state during high school. By the time his high school career came to an end, Nacua had collected 260 catches, 5,226 receiving yards and 58 receiving touchdowns, which are each Utah state high school records.

His college years were more of a mixed bag, with the 6'2" Polynesian receiver initially committing to the Washington Huskies, where he played the first two seasons of his collegiate career. Each of his first two college seasons were cut short, with a broken foot sidelining him in his first year and COVID-19 shortening his second year. In 2021, he transferred to Brigham Young University in his home state of Utah, where he earned 1,430 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his last two college seasons before turning pro.

The L.A. Rams took a chance on Nacua during the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting him with the 177th overall pick in the 5th round. While he may not have been high up on many draft boards, it wouldn't take long for the former Utah high school standout to make all other 31 NFL teams regret passing on him. Nacua made his rookie debut in a game where Rams star Cooper Kupp was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He took full advantage, hauling in 10 catches for 119 yards in a 30-13 victory over the heavily favored Seattle Seahawks. Nacua would go on to have one of the best seasons for a rookie wide receiver ever, earning his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections on the back of 1,486 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Injuries hampered Nacua's second pro season, but he still earned a respectable 990 receiving yards and one touchdown over 11 games. As for 2025, he's had a prolific start to his third NFL season through five games. Nacua already has 588 receiving yards and one touchdown under his belt, with the receiver on pace to make a run at Calvin Johnson's 2012 record of most receiving yards in an NFL season (1,964 yards). There's a lot of football left to be played this season, but Nacua's high volume of targets could lead to a historic and possibly record-breaking season in L.A.

Did you know? Since entering the NFL in 2023, Nacua has been among the most-thrown-to receivers in the league. In fact, he immediately became a focal point of the Rams' offense during his rookie season, breaking records along the way. Nacua holds two NFL records for wide receivers, including most receiving yards in a single season by a rookie (1,486 yards) and most receptions in a game by a rookie (15).

Total graded by CGC Cards: Puka Nacua's 2023 Panini Prizm #357 rookie card also includes multiple colored parallels, of which 104 total cards have been graded. Of the base Prizm #357 version, there are 39 graded examples of the standard card in the CGC Cards Population Report, as of early October 2025. CGC Cards has also graded numerous different parallels of the same card: Disco (12), Lazer (12), Silver (9), Red White & Blue (7), Green (3), Green Wave (3), Purple Pulsar (3), Black & White Checker (3), Silver Autographs (3), Orange Ice (2), Pandora (2), Pink (1), Red (1), Neon Green Pulsar (1), Blue Sparkle (1), Blue Shimmer (1) and Black & Red Checker (1).

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CGC Cards median grade: CGC 9

CGC Cards highest graded: Out of 39 total graded examples, 11 base #357 rookie cards have earned CGC Gem Mint 10, but none have received the coveted CGC Pristine 10 designation. Meanwhile, 4 parallels did earn a CGC Pristine 10 designation, including Purple Pulsar (1 - pictured above), Pandora (1 - pictured below) and Black and White Checker (2).

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Sales highlights: Several examples of the 2023 Topps Panini Prizm #357 rookie card and its many parallels have sold through Fanatics Collect, with three base cards selling on the platform in 2024, including a CGC Gem Mint 10 for $20.40 and two graded CGC 9 that realized $9.60 and $6. Parallels that have sold on Fanatics Collect include a Blue Shimmer graded CGC 9.5 (pictured below) that realized $900 in April 2024, a Silver Autographs graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (pictured below) that realized $420 in April 2024, a Red, White & Blue graded CGC 9.5 that realized $42 in May 2024 and a Lazer certified CGC Authentic that realized $10.80 in June 2025.

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