Puka Nacua praises Fred Warner, calls him 'the best'

"He's the best," Nacua said. "Everybody's really obviously so good in the NFL. There's nobody that covers that much space. It's scary. The middle of the field is terrible. We'll run routes and I won't catch the ball and he's standing right there and he's like, 'I knew exactly where you're going.'

"Dude, I swear when I started the play, you're on the left sideline and now you're right here standing next to me," Nacua remembers telling Warner during one of their matchups. "He's like, 'That's just what I do.'"

The praise from the division rival comes a month after coaches and executives across the league ranked Warner as the NFL's top linebacker, even though he played just six games last season because of a broken and dislocated ankle. His unique ability to read plays before most defenders overrides the missed time.

Since entering the league in 2018, Warner has established himself as a premier linebacker and ranked among the top tacklers. The four-time All-Pro is now healthy, a full participant in training camp, and on track to play in the season opener against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

Nacua, 25, is coming off the best year of his career, leading the NFL with 129 receptions and 10 touchdowns, while his 1,715 yards ranked second in the league. He enters a contract year after the Rams tabled extension talks.

Nacua left the Rams' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys early Tuesday with minor groin soreness, prompting a visit with team trainer Reggie Scott, but the team does not consider the injury serious.

Nacua could also be suspended for the opener while the NFL reviews an allegation that he bit a woman and made an antisemitic remark during a New Year's Eve incident; the league has not yet ruled on his status.

Whether Nacua and Warner meet in Week 1, the respect between them is already there.