[Nick]

Once everyone gets over the shock of the Rams passing on bigger names at WR, I think a a deep breath and a calm head makes this pick much more understandable.

The Rams needed to add speed to their receiver corps. This should be an undisputed fact. Holt is losing his speed because of his knee injury. Bennett is a tall guy, not incredibly fast. Caldwell isn't going to burn you. Avery is one of the fastest guys in the draft, and he has much better size than DeSean Jackson.

It seems obvious that NFL teams don't view this WR class as having a lot of top talent. Devin Thomas went right after we took Avery, but then the Packers took Jordy Nelson. Jordy Nelson! Right now Jackson, Sweed, and Kelly are still on the board. Eddie Royal went above all of them. Jackson's weight is probably worrying some teams. Sweed's injury could be the cause of his slip. Hardy has off the field character concerns that probably caused him to drop to Buffalo's second rounder.

Avery has elite quickness and is a deep threat. He has a lot of starting experience in college and was very productive. His ability to change direction is considered to be top notch. He needs to work on his route running and his ability to beat the jam at the line, but those are the kinds of things that can be taught. Legitimate 4.3 speed cannot. I think he'll be a good fit in Saunders' scheme, definitely a guy who could be a weapon in multiple receiver sets. He can also contribute as a special teams player, which the Rams can always use.

Again, the fact that Jordy Nelson got picked over Jackson, Sweed, and Hardy demonstrates that NFL boards may not have had the WRs valued in the same manner as most fans and some analysts. I suspect there may not be as much difference in grade between Avery and some of these other guys, at least not as much as some may think.

For those saying we could have had him later, there's absolutely no way of knowing that. That's based on fan and analyst pre-draft rankings, none of which predicted the first round being WR-less.