When Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp joined Julian Edelman on the “Games with Names” podcast, fans were treated to a hilarious back-and-forth between the two star receivers. Edelman finally seized the chance to address the social media comparisons constantly drawn between himself and the physically disparate Kupp.
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At 6’2″ and 204 pounds, Kupp towers over the 5’10”, 195-pound former Patriot. Yet as the two discussed, they didn’t seem to understand why fans can’t seem to distinguish their play styles despite clear differences in route-running approaches.
That’s when Cooper Kupp cheekily offered up a potential unifying factor, “Maybe! It’s the beard!” He surmised their shared lumberjack-esque facial hair might be the source of the mistaken identity.
Edelman ran with the joke, dryly suggesting perhaps it came down to a more primitive quality: “Maybe it’s our pigment?” Kupp immediately shut that notion down with a laugh, adding, “I never thought that once.”
“Every white guy is the same f**king receiver,” Edelman ultimately concluded, drawing an uproarious cackle of agreement from Kupp. The two even joked that, following that flawed logic, fans might as well start lumping in Dolphins wideout Braxton Berrios with them too.
The entertaining conversation then shifted to Cooper Kupp singing the praises of his Los Angeles Rams teammate, rookie wideout Puka Nacua. Having witnessed Nacua’s talents up close, Kupp marveled at how the young pass-catcher inexplicably fell to the 5th round of the draft.
Cooper Kupp Spills The Tea On Puka Nacua’s Talent
Kupp seemed bewildered by that fact and couldn’t figure out how scouts missed Puka’s abilities. He detailed how Nacua’s tireless work ethic, consistently picking his brain about route concepts and overall impressive football IQ immediately stood out.
“He’s been awesome. I mean he’s a sponge. He wants to know, he wants to talk football, he wants to know the game. He’s also got a really good IQ.” Cooper Kupp added.
Kupp’s gushing endorsement proves well-founded when examining Nacua’s stellar debut campaign. Puka Nacua bagged 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and 6 touchdowns, starting all 17 games in his rookie season. His 14.2 yards per catch showed his ability to strike downfield.
While narrowly missing out on Offensive Rookie of the Year honors to the Texans’ CJ Stroud, Nacua’s emergence provided a glimpse of his sky-high potential. With Cooper Kupp taking the 23-year-old under his wing as a mentor, Nacua appears primed to build upon his remarkable first season.
