Puka Nacua’s individual value is epitomized by how well he’s played for the Los Angeles Rams after just three seasons. But even on a team with a reigning MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Nacua is able to shine through as one of the top young stars in the NFL.
As such, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon ranked Nacua No. 16 on his list of the NFL’s top franchise-building blocks heading into the 2026 season. Gagnon specifically ranked players 28 or younger, who are still with the team that drafted them and could legitimately be a cornerstone of a team regardless of who was around him.
Nacua’s receiving volume makes his case for him. Across his three NFL seasons, Nacua has averaged 95.3 receiving yards per game, the highest qualified average in league history. He’s done that while playing alongside Davante Adams in one of the NFL’s most productive receiver rooms. In his 44 career games, Nacua has caught 313 receptions for 4,191 yards and 19 touchdowns, including an NFL-leading 129 receptions in 2025.
Nacua earned first-team All-Pro honors as part of that run of production, further reinforcing his standing as one of the game’s premier young receivers regardless of who else is on the Rams’ roster.
The ranking arrives as the Rams enter the 2026 season as one of the betting favorites to reach the Super Bowl, bolstered by an offseason that added Garrett to a defense already anchored by star talent and kept Nacua and Adams intact as Stafford’s top targets. With Los Angeles positioning itself as a win-now team around a 38-year-old quarterback, Nacua’s age and long-term upside give the franchise a foundational piece to build around well beyond Stafford’s current window.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Puka Nacua named among NFL’s top building block players entering 2026
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
