Whether in California, Missouri, or even Ohio, the team currently known as the Los Angeles Rams has always had great pass-catchers. That’s why on this list of the best Rams receivers of all time, you’ll find two players in the Hall of Fame, one more who should be, and another who could be one day in the future.
For some reason, the Rams franchise has always excelled at finding, acquiring, and developing certain position groups. A quick perusal of the list of the best Rams ever, and you’ll find an outsized number of defensive linemen (Deacon Jones, Aaron Donald, Merlin Olsen) and running backs (Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson, Todd Gurley).
Wide receiver is the third position that the Rams have always seemed to crush over the years. From “Crazylegs” in the 1950s to a player who set records and helped win Super Bowl 56, here are the best Rams wide receivers of all time.
5 Players You Forgot Suited Up for the Los Angeles Rams
Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis began his career with the Rams, while Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath ended his with the franchise.
1Torry Holt
He may not have the records or the gold jacket, but Torry Holt was the best Rams receiver during 'The Greatest Show on Turf' era
The best Rams wide receiver in team history is one who is second all-time in every major receiving category and not in the Hall of Fame, while his counterpart in the “Greatest Show on Turf” offense is in Canton. Still, in the moment, Torry Holt was the guy defenses were scared of, and that’s what puts him atop this list.
Holt starred at North Carolina State before arriving in St. Louis via the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft . He would go on to play 10 years for the Rams, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and one First-Team All-Pro selection.
This is not to knock Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce, but in the decade he and Holt played together, Holt outgained Bruce and led the team in receiving yards in nine of the 10 seasons. Holt also led the league in receiving yards with 1,600-plus twice and had 117 catches to lead the league in that category in 2003.
Add all this up, and while Bruce’s total numbers are bigger after playing for the Rams for four years longer, it’s Holt who is the best Rams wide receiver of all time.
2Isaac Bruce
Isaac Bruce is in the Hall of Fame and has all the Rams' receiving records after 14 great years
For 14 seasons, Isaac Bruce was a go-to guy for the Rams. He was brought in during the 1994 NFL Draft to help replace Henry Ellard, who left for Washington in the offseason, and he worked out better than anyone could have expected.
Over the next decade and a half, Bruce played in four Pro Bowls and led the league in receiving yards in 1996 with 1,338. He had over 1,000 yards in eight seasons and led the Rams in that category three times.
Bruce was never the best receiver in the league, and for most of his career, he wasn’t the best WR on his own team. Still, he was incredibly good for an incredibly long period of time, and he has the stats to back it up.
The former Memphis wideout caught 942 balls for 14,109 yards and 91 touchdowns with the Rams, which are all tops in franchise history.
Whether your cup of tea is Holt or Bruce, it’s safe to say that the “Greatest Show on Turf” wouldn’t have worked without the two of them in concert. That’s why it makes sense that Bruce is in the Hall of Fame and his partner in crime should be.
3Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch
Elroy Hirsch was far more than the guy with one of the best nicknames in NFL history
Elroy Hirsch is more than just a dude with an awesome nickname. He’s one of the best and most versatile offensive weapons in the early days of NFL history. After three seasons with the Chicago Rockets in the AAFL, Hirsch moved to Los Angeles to play in the 
NFL for the Rams.
Hirsch split time early in his career between running back and wide receiver. In his first Rams season, he caught 22 balls for 326 yards and had 68 carries for 287 yards.
However, when he morphed into a full-time pass-catcher by 1951, Hirsch’s career took off with 66 catches, 1,495 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns. All those marks led the NFL that year and Hirsch made the first of three Pro Bowls and earned the first of two First-Team All-Pro nods.
Alongside Norm Van Brocklin at quarterback, Hirsch helped lead the Rams to the 1951 NFL Championship. He retired in 1957 and went into the Hall of Fame in 1968. His numbers still hold up, too. He is still 10th in Rams history in receptions, fifth in receiving yards, and third in receiving touchdowns.
4Henry Ellard
If Henry Ellard had played with better QBs, we may be talking about one of the greats
One of the most athletic WRs in NFL history, Henry Ellard was a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time First-Team All-Pro. He was also a world-class triple jumper who came close to making the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona before an injury kept him out.
On the football side, Ellard played 11 years with the Rams after the team drafted him in the second round out of Fresno State in 1983. The California native ultimately recorded 293 catches for 9,761 yards and 48 touchdowns in Los Angeles.
Who knows what Ellard could have done — in addition to leading the league in receiving yards in 1988 — if he ever played with a great quarterback? Vince Ferragamo, (an old) Jack Kemp, Dieter Brock, and Jim Everett were all decent in their own right, but none were great with the Rams and that was a disservice to Ellard.
5Cooper Kupp
Still active in the NFL, Cooper Kupp could rise up this list of best Rams wide receivers soon
A third-round pick out of Eastern Washington in 2017, Cooper Kupp has outperformed his draft status and is one of the best receivers in the league when healthy.
Kupp was solid out of the gate, going for 1,435 yards combined in his first two seasons, and hit his stride in 2019 with 94 catches for 1,194 yards. His big year, though, was in 2021, when he won the WR Triple Crown, leading the league in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16).
The Rams won the Super Bowl that season and, in addition to winning Offensive Player of the Year and being named to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro squad, he took home Super Bowl MVP as well.
Kupp still has some good seasons left in his career and could easily move up this list in the next few years.
