Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba each produced all-time great-level seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, in 2025. As the NFL world typically does, the two superstar wide receivers were quickly compared. Amid PFN’s release of its Top 100 NFL player rankings, here’s a closer look at who the site analysts believe is the better wide receiver entering the 2026 season.
PFN Reveals Who Ranks Higher Between Puka Nacua & Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Given one sentence to analyze Nacua’s play, PFN analyst Jason Katz wrote, “If any wide receiver is going to break Calvin Johnson’s single season receiving yards record, it’s Puka Nacua.”
As for Smith-Njigba, PFN analyst Kyle Soppe noted, “After a 119-1793-10 season, he is now viewed as a Tier 1 WR, a label he figures to hold for years to come with him not turning 25 years of age until Super Sunday.”
Both received extremely high praise, and rightfully so. Forced to pick between the rival pass-catchers, PFN’s analysts ultimately decided that Nacua would rank higher. The Rams star placed No. 5 overall and No. 1 among WRs, while Smith-Njigba ranked No. 13 and No. 3 among WRs, also behind Cincinnati Bengals’ star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
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“Puka Nacua has just been on another level since entering the NFL in 2023; it’s crazy to think he was only a fifth-round draft pick,” PFN’s Jacob Infante wrote. “He was a top-ten wide receiver by our WR Impact Scoring metric in each of his first two years in the league, but his third year with the Rams was by far his best. His 96.3 score led the NFL, and it’s also the third-highest score that any wide receiver has tallied since 1999.”
“Leading the league in receptions, placing second in receiving yards, and tying for fourth in receiving touchdowns, Nacua was a deserving first-team All-Pro receiver in 2025. His 115.7 receiving EPA was by far the most in the league last year, and he came in second with 173.1 YAC over expected. He’s a tough, intelligent, coordinated, explosive receiver who just finds a way to get open, no matter what type of coverage he’s facing.”
Still, nothing can be taken away from Smith-Njigba, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year and WR1 for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
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“The way that Jaxon Smith-Njigba has progressed each year should have Seahawks fans incredibly excited about what’s left to come in his young NFL career,” Infante wrote. “He was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, leading the league with 1,793 receiving yards and placing third with 119 receptions among wide receivers. His 93.7 PFN WR Impact Score ranks ninth among all wide receiver seasons since 1999.”
“Year over year, Smith-Njigba has improved in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and yards per catch since entering the league in 2023. Still just 24 years old, he’s proven that he’s an elite separator with tremendous ball skills, great hands, and the spatial awareness needed to work his way open against any coverage looks in the book.”
As Infante mentioned, Smith-Njigba, 24, and Nacua, 25, will be in the league’s best wide receiver conversations for years to come. For all we know, by this time next offseason, Smith-Njigba could be ranked in the top five, with Nacua trailing right behind him.
The Seahawks and Rams, who met in the NFC Championship last season, are both expected to be back in the mix as Super Bowl contenders in 2026. Expect Smith-Njigba and Nacua to show up and show out every time these two teams meet.
