Future first ballot Hall of Famer gives Puka Nacua the respect he deserves

No one knows Puka Nacua like those who played with him. 

And recently, retired Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald gave the second-year receiver the ultimate respect. 

Donald took to the Green Light Podcast to sing Nacua's praises regarding just how great he can be. 

“He’s a football player, that type of player you want on your team. A tough guy that plays hard, plays tough,” Donald said. “From the first game, he was just consistent. Then the Colts game, we ended up going into overtime, he ended up making the game-winning touchdown for us. He’s just been a consistent player since Day 1 and then he just got better and better and better. It’s like, god, I didn’t expect him to be the player he was this year but in my opinion, to be honest with you, for any position, me personally watching, that’s probably one of the best rookie performances from any position that I got the opportunity to watch.”

Nacua burst on the scene as soon as the season started in 2023. He never looked back. 

The Rams utilized him to land a spot in the playoffs, where they nearly beat America's darling - the Detroit Lions. 

Still, Donald couldn't get enough of how good Nacua was during his rookie season. 

“You see young guys that play and they fall off a little bit, but for him to stay as poised as he did for the whole season as far as, like, he became a household name as a rookie and he didn’t change,” Donald continued. “He stayed the same person, he kept doing the same things every single week and it’s like, if he stays like that and he stays hungry and if he wants to be great, in my opinion, I think he can do some things that have never been done in this league. But he’s just got to keep working, but he was fun to watch. I really enjoyed watching him, all the awards he was able to surpass, records he was able to break as a rookie.”

Donald knows greatness. And man, Nacua is great.