Puka Nacua had easy Rams answer locked and loaded for 'Top 100' quiz

The NFL's annual Top 100 rankings, decided exclusively by players themselves, will soon be unveiled. In a promotional video clip posted to league social media accounts, Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua featured among the players asked to predict who would get the top spot on this year's list. Let's just say he made a fine prediction. 

If Nacua wanted to choose a member of the Rams, he had plenty of options. Himself, for one. No one would quibble with Myles Garrett, who was, in fact, one of the names mentioned. The receiver's answer, though, was easily the best he could make. "No. 9, Matthew Stafford," Nacua beamed. 

The easy A's don't come often, but when they do, the math is simple. If the test lobs you a cookie, you dunk it.

Naming his own quarterback was easy choice for Nacua

Stafford almost certainly will not earn the No. 1 spot in reality, which is understandable in a league featuring Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Stafford's own teammates. The national media is quick to point out that the future Hall of Famer is 38 years old, with the specter of late-career back problems ever-lurking in the background. 

His back is doing just fine, however, and from an admittedly biased Rams perspective, it's hard to argue with the pick. While there's a place for pragmatism, there's a place, too, for giving out what's due. Stafford might not be everyone's choice, but he is the reigning MVP coming off a historically dominant season: 46 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a league-leading 4,707 passing yards. 

For context, the only quarterbacks to throw for that many scores with an equal or better TD-to-INT ratio are 2007 Tom Brady and 2020 Aaron Rodgers. Not bad company.

Nacua was a direct beneficiary of No. 9's prolific campaign. Is it pure luck that Stafford seemingly always has a juggernaut receiver on his team, or might his presence in the pocket have something to do with those gaudy stat lines? Funny how the top two names aloft the single-season leaderboard in receiving yards are Stafford's former teammates, Calvin Johnson from his Lions days and Cooper Kupp with the Rams. 

For Nacua's part, his 1,715-yard 2025 season ranks 14th all-time. Achieved in 16 games, that figure was also good for the league lead in yards per contest. 

Tagging himself was an option. Other players in the clip did. Stafford, last season's Wins Above Replacement leader by a wide margin, wouldn't bat an eye. No one would. 

Let's just put this out there. While Seattle's Jaxson Smith-Njigba, media voters' pick for 2025 Offensive Player of the Year, may be the more skilled receiver, Nacua's overall game as a blocker, contested-catch monster, and after-the-catch bulldozer gives him the edge. His season produced Pro Football Focus' highest-ever receiver grade, a 96.3, for a reason.

When Matt Stafford is your quarterback, life is good. He could say the same about having Nacua at receiver. Any guesses, then, for Stafford's Top 100 pick if asked? My money's on No. 12.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow