Seeing a trend? We sure are.
When Josh McDaniels took over the offensive coordinator position, much was made of the versatility of his scheme, and his ability to work with the talent give him. Accordingly, few expected as complete an overhaul of the offensive skill positions that the Rams draft has shown so far.
Despite our depth at wide receiver and tight end, the Rams dove in and made three consecutive picks at the position. We now have four or five TEs and as many as ten WRs in house, with more draft to come.
The quality that separates the guys we just got from the players we already have? Very good to great hands. New Era Scouting on Greg Salas: “ideal size, shows good hands.” Sideline Scouting on Austin Pettis: “Above-average hands, doesn’t let the ball get into his body.” New Era on Lance Kendricks: “Catches like a wide receiver. Has big hands and can snag the ball out of the air.“
Except for Amendola and our safety-valve tight ends, the Rams pass catchers have struggled with drops and lapses in concentration. And it isn’t as though we have a lot of of speed or big-play ability on the roster with Avery nearly always hurt. Here’s how they rank in Catch Percent, according to PFF stats:
Receivers
Danny Amendola: 74.6%
Brandon Gibson: 61.6%
Danario Alexander: 60.6%
Mark Clayton: 60.5%
Donnie Avery (2009): 51.1%
Laurent Robinson: 49.3%
Mardy Gilyard: 40%
Tight Ends
Billy Bajema: 73.7%
Daniel Fells: 73.2%
Michael Hoomanawanui: 61.9%
Fendi Onobun: 50%
21Bird@RamsHerd come training camp if any wr has problems catching your job is gone…all these rooks are sure handed
It sure seems as though a message is being sent. McDaniels wants to flood the field with as many legitimate targets as possible for Bradford and let him pick and choose. But nothing will blow up a perfect play call or a perfect decision by Bradford than a drop.
Last year, receivers who dropped a pass in training camp had to run a lap around the field. This year, they might as well keep running all the way out to the parking lot.
