Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) celebrates with wide receiver Jordan Whittington (88) and wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) after scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rams' Puka Nacua Names His Favorite Receiver

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Mar 24, 2025 6:43 PM ET

Every person who has ever loved the game of football has that only player, that one playmaker that lives forever in your heart. Puka Nacua named his favorite wide receiver of all time during his interview on the Join The Lobby podcast, naming future Hall of Famer Julio Jones as his favorite.

Jones, a National Champion at Alabama, entered the NFL in the 2011 season and never looked back, hauling in 914 catches, 13,703 receiving yards, and 66 career touchdowns. Jones also had seven 1,000 yard seasons in Atlanta with one of the wildest highlight tapes of all time.

Puka Nacua’s GOAT Wide Receiver pic.twitter.com/CPSSJ3D4Lq
— Join The Lobby (@jointhelobbypod) March 22, 2025

"Julio Jones, he's my favorite." Said Nacua. "The perfect mixture of size and speed, he could run every route at his size, he kind of rotated between playing X and Z but something about it was like man that should be the prototype for every wide receiver, if you want to have a wide receiver body, it should look like Julio Jones. "

There are several similarities between Nacua and Jones. While Jones is taller and more lanky than Nacua, both men were instant producers as soon as they stepped on the field, both players were mentored by NFL greats who quite frankly do not get the love they deserve from the league in Roddy White and Cooper Kupp, and both players are All-Pros.

Nacua went on to say that if the Falcons held on to the lead in Super Bowl LI, Jones would have won MVP. Nacua is likely correct as Jones was making play after play, even though Matt Ryan probably would have a case, especially as a quarterback.

In Super Bowl LI, Jones was targeted four times. He caught all four passes for 87 yards. Jones also caught a wild 27-yard pass, barely keeping his feet in bounds to set Atlanta up on the Patriots 22-yard line with 4:40 left in the game up eight points. The Falcons proceeded to lose 23 yards via a run stopped in the backfield, a sack, and a penalty, forcing them to punt. Atlanta would lose in overtime.

Nacua hopes to capture his first Super Bowl one day, emulating the skills of his wide receiver G.O.A.T.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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