With 100 days to go before the start of the 2026 NFL season, we’re getting closer to witnessing more Puka Nacua history. The fourth-year wideout is set to vault his way up the Los Angeles Rams’ all-time receiving lists this season.
Currently, Nacua is 13th all-time in team history in receptions (313), sandwiched between Red Phillips (333) and Jim Benton (275). Keep in mind that the All-Pro has posted that production in only 44 games. Last season, he became the fastest player in NFL history to reach
300 receptions.
According to Pro Football Reference, Nacua is just 31 receptions away from surpassing the legendary Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch for 10th on the Rams’ all-time receptions list. Given that he averages around 104 receptions a season in his career, he could vault himself all the way to No. 6 on the list, a spot that belongs to the great Steven Jackson (407 receptions).
That’s a best-case scenario if Tyler Higbee doesn’t beat him to the punch. Higbee is eighth all-time in team receptions with 386, and is the only other active player on the list standing in Puka’s way.
Receiving yardage is the other main category where Nacua can enter the top 10, and he won’t have to worry about Higbee. The veteran tight end has never been much of a yards machine.
Read more: Puka Nacua could pass Justin Jefferson for NFL record
Another 1,000-yard campaign would give him sole possession of the No. 9 spot, which right now belongs to Phillips (4,953 yards). Depending on how much yardage he can rack up in 2026, Nacua could vault even higher than that. He’s at 4,191 yards through his first three seasons, and a 1,200 or 1,300-yard campaign could surpass Flipper Anderson at No. 8 (5,246 yards) and/or Tom Fears at No. 7 (5,397 yards).
It should be expected that, barring injury, Nacua will reach the 5K mark in a hurry, considering how quickly he got to the 4,000-yard mark.
The BYU product has been on an absolute tear to begin his NFL career. Through three seasons, Nacua is already the Rams’ all-time leader in yards per game (95.3) and receptions per game (7.1) — a full reception more than his former teammate at No. 2, Cooper Kupp. Pro Football Focus projected a second straight dominant year for Nacua, which for him would be a blessing given his distraction-filled offseason to date.
Nacua’s rise to becoming one of the NFL’s best wide receivers has been prolific and unprecedented, especially for a player picked in the fifth round. Assuming he can stay out of trouble and maintain his high level of productivity, Nacua will have further opportunities to continue climbing up L.A.’s all-time lists, with the chance to finish his career as a Rams great.
