Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

[Guest]

Ive been reading frequently on this forum about the need for a "#1 Receiver". Really? First off as of now i believe we have a total of 7 receivers. Guys like Jordan Kent and Ruvell Martin will most likely go back to their practice squad roles next year or be released. That leaves us with 5 receivers.

Laurent Robinson- showed flashes of his ability this past year before going down with a freak injury (deja vu) and ending his evaluation. Good size at 6'2 and good speed (ran a 4.38 40) and good leaping ability. Plays bigger than his size. Good hands, can pluck a ball out of the air after leaping over a smaller DB. Very possibly could emerge as a legit number 1 receiver. Need to see what he has after coming back from the injury this off-season.
YouTube - laurent robinson

Donnie Avery-Elite speed. Needs to improve on his route running ability. Can be a beast in the slot if he gets more physical, as linebackers wont be a match for his speed. Had an ok year even with the complete lack of quarterback production (and protection towards the end of the year). Would have gotten a lot more deep balls caught if there was a Quarterback that could hit him on them. Should be kept
YouTube - Donnie Avery - University of Houston - Football Highlights

Brandon Gibson- Possess above average hands verging on great hands. Not the fastest guy but has enough speed to get open and make the catch. Average route running, good size, and shows nice moves after the catch, always trying to make a play. Should be kept. Hard to find a vid.
YouTube - Coug senior only has a few Saturdays left

Keenan Burton-Good possesion receiver. Hasnt wow'ed us with his speed but still has more than enough to get the job done. Impressive vertical for a guy his size and can go up for the ball against smaller corners. Possibly a keeper but replaceable.
YouTube - keenan burton mix

Danny Amendola- Gave the Rams much to think about this season with his explosive kick returns. Has shown he can fit a Wes Welker type roll for this team in a slot position. Should be kept for Kick return skill alone. At this point not much more than a 3 or 4 receiver option however. Should be kept..
YouTube - Danny Amendola Tribute Texas Tech

Brooks Foster- Not much is none about this guy. Athlete. 6'1 build and carries every bit of it. Strong, out-repped linebackers and lineman with an impressive 27 reps at the combine. Can run through arm tackles. In the mold of an Anquan Boldin. Doesnt have great speed or explosiveness in and out of his cuts and breaks. Has the will to create plays and generate YAC. Apparently had a knee injury towards the end of his senior year that impacted his draft stock. We haven't seen much him because of another injury to his ankle that originally required 6-8 weeks but he was placed on IR due to roster cuts. Time will tell how he turns out. Personally i hope the rams keep him because he looks to be a playmaker.
YouTube - Brooks Foster

The fact is, we have plenty of good young talent at the position and i honestly think it is not one of our BIGGEST concerns. If we draft a receiver it should only be in rounds 3-7 and only as high as round 3 if you have a steal staring you in the face (*cough* Danario Alexander).
Right Defensive End, Outside Linebacker, Quarterback, and Right Tackle are the biggest issues we will face this off-season. I think Adam Goldberg with be a nice starter at Right Guard for us as that is where he plays best at. He is not a Tackle and should not have been playing there in the first place.

The other lesser issues are Tight End, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback, and Wide Receiver. The biggest of these probably being Defensive Tackle which will be rectified firmly, assuming the Rams grab Suh.

All factual information was collected from various sources.

[39thebeast]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

The fact that you are only showing college highlights say something. They all haven't done anything in the NFL YET. Ton of potential 1 huge question can they stay healthy? IMO if Robinson stayed healthy the whole year he might have established himself as a number 1, but he didn't. Going into the offseason we will look for better options, if we can't find any (In this extremely deep class I don't see it).

[Bralidore(RAMMODE)]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

well i couldnt find any amendola, foster, robinson videos of them in the NFL first off. And i guess i could have placed a donnie avery and keenan burton highlight reel on here but thats beside the point. My purpose is to show what they are capable of and to show that although receiver is an issue it takes a backseat to other positions.

[Goldenfleece]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

You know, they say that sometimes in the NFL having a lot of players at a position means you don't really have anything. We can talk all about the talent we supposedly have at the position, but I recall vividly the number of dropped passes and wrong routes we saw early in the season. As the season wore on, it just got harder to tell whether it was the quarterback's fault or the receiver's when things went awry.

With all of the injuries, how exactly does one evaluate the talent from 2009? I liked what little I saw of Robinson, but did I see enough to feel confident that teams would stop stacking the box against Jackson if he were in the lineup? No.

I liked the flashes of big play potential Avery displayed in his rookie season, but we didn't see a lot of big plays from in 2009. Do I think teams will respect his speed enough to double up on him? Not really.

Gibson and Burton developed a bit of a reputation this season as possession receivers, but were they so reliable that we knew we could move the chains on pivotal downs by throwing to either as a "go to" receiver? No. Our team was ranked 28th in converting third down possessions (according to NFL.com), and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that our redzone stats probably weren't too pretty either.

[Flippin' Ram]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

Agreed, college stats alone don't really prove their worth in the NFL. But I think our WR corps have the potential to develop. Avery didn't do great this season but I hope it's just a sophomore slump effect. I was impressed by Robinson in the first 3 weeks, lets hope he doesn't get injured again. We at least need a veteran WR to teach these guys how to make good plays or let Pat Shurmur recalibrate his ultra conservative offense and run better routes or he goes bye-bye.

[Bralidore(RAMMODE)]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

i agree a veteran presence on this team will help with our receivers learning the nuisances of route running and the receiver position in general.

And a vast part of that bad redzone percentile had to do with imcompetent and inconsistent quarterback play. The constant rotation of Passers and Catchers and thus the lack of timing was a huge factor in the wrong routes being ran.

im not argueing we dont need a receiver. im arguing that we ahve greater needs elsewhere and shouldnt be looking for a recevier in the first 2-3 rounds unless you have a steal there. We have talent, just no experience. Getting another rookie wont solve that problem.

[FestusRam]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

If we could pick up a veteran FA i would definately agree with that.

Using a draft pick is another story though.

We need to use the draft for Suh, and OLB, a backup for Jax, future QB more important things like that.

Our receivers have alot of potential and im sure they will show it in 2010.

[Goldenfleece]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

im not argueing we dont need a receiver. im arguing that we ahve greater needs elsewhere and shouldnt be looking for a recevier in the first 2-3 rounds unless you have a steal there. We have talent, just no experience. Getting another rookie wont solve that problem.

Maybe not, but we do have to consider what we can do to improve an offense that at no point during the season appeared particularly threatening. In theory, a west coast offense relies on the short passing game first and foremost to move the ball. If you can't complete a high percentage of your passes, it's the equivalent of trying to implement a power running game without a power runner.

I basically agree, though, that receiver is more of a need when looking at free agency than the draft. We have youth; we need someone who has already learned the ropes.

[AlphaRam]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

Laurent Robinson is the only one that has shown me anything of a #1 or #2 WR. NONE of the others appear to be anything better than a #3 at this point. In general, our guys cannot spell separation, let alone achieve it. Avery and Burton have been disappointing. Amendola (sp?) and Gibson have shown some heart and may be better in the future. Hell, I would almost sign TO at this point.

Linehan not only performed poorly, he gutted our team.

[dave626]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

Linehan not only performed poorly, he gutted our team. AGREED!
Bruce should be grooming our young recievers right now.

[Richbert88]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

The young guys have potential. Robinson, Avery, Gibson, Burton, Amendola and Foster all are young and have upsides that we only glimpsed.

So, how many WRs will be kept on the roster after training camp? 5 or 6?

I ask because those youngsters add up to six and I would rather have those young guys with their upside than an aged vet. Even if that vet can teach them something.

Now, what would make a heck of a lot more sense to me is bringing in a WR coach that can coach these guys up "on the field" during practices and help them focus during a game. Who can demonstrate route running and such. A guy like..............Isaac Bruce. Coach Bruce. If I were Spag's, I'd be at his house selling this idea to him as soon as he retires. St Louis would love it. Question is would Bruce.

That makes more sense than carrying seven WRs or cutting a young gun to keep an old dude.

Dave626.........you posted just before I did. Great thought.

[molar_pistol]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

bottom line is these guys need to get open more..unfortunately we were never really close to a full 5 healthy wide receivers, but robinson, gibson, avery, burton, amendola all showed some positives. if all 5 are healthy are they good enough? i don't know. again the list of needs is so long and this might be somewhere beneath a lot of other things, so unless the right guy falls to us that we really like or we acquire more picks i wouldn't expect a wide receiver in the first 4 rounds.

[RockinRam]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

I think it is a concern, but not a pressing, major need. IMO, a solid TE is more of a need. It would help get pressure off our young receivers. It would also give our QB a big reliable redzone target, something our WR's cannot consistently give.

[AtlantaRamFan]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

IMO I don't think there are too many spots on this roster that I would label "unconcerned" I agree with the original poster than these young WR's do have a level of potential that, if reached, would give the Rams a solid receiving corp. Where I disagree is that I just don't see a #1 on the roster(and hence the talk of a need for a #1 receiver) . Now, I could be wrong obviously, but when I look at these guys, I just don't see a Steve Smith, TO, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson..heck, some of the other receivers in the division.

The FO has to prioritize with a 1-15 team, and WR I believe is somewhere in the middle. I think the Rams could benefit greatly by having a typical #1 receiver. I also think they can get by ok with what they have now too.

[dgr828]

Re: Is Receiver Really That Big a Need?

Two Words, TO!!!! Get Him!