Which Rams Wide Receiver Should Earn The Sixth Spot?

[den-the-coach]

Which Rams Wide Receiver Should Earn The Sixth Spot?
By RamBuck

[www.turfshowtimes.com]

Last Thursday, TST tweeted a poll question: "Who would you have take the final WR roster spot? Assume Austin, Britt, Cooper, (Bradley) Marquez, Thomas safe." Well, you voted and the results are interesting.

The Rams carried six wide receivers in 2015 (Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, Brian Quick and Bradley Marquez). A good bit has changed since then, with Givens being traded to Baltimore and Bailey being waived in early June.

What has remained the same is that the Rams are still looking for consistency among their WR corps, and for a potential high-volume target to work the intermediate levels. A short summary of each rostered WR's career with the Rams:

Austin: bubble screens, sweeps, reverses and any other way to get him the ball without actually passing it further than five yards. A game-breaker with the ball in his hands, the Rams have struggled to get him involved in intermediate/deep passing. De facto #1.

Britt: second in the NFL in yards per reception (18.9) last year. A solid deep threat but not a high-volume target. Can take over a game AND disappear within two weeks.

Quick: all hypothetical and little production. When healthy, he flashes the ability to be a #1 WR but not the consistency in hauling in contested catches, beating press coverage and being a true game-breaker. Quick signed a 1-year prove it deal this offseason, and is likely on the bubble if he doesn't have a good camp.

Marquez: showed very good hands and route running with limited snaps. Took over Bailey's role after his injury. Finished with 13 receptions on 22 targets. A core special teams player (11 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in 16 games), he will likely be safe due to his experience there (but who knows for sure).

We assume that fourth round-pick Pharoh Cooper and sixth round-pick Michael Thomas are safe, considering Cooper is drawing rave reviews in OTAs and Thomas is a developmental prospect with deep ball skills and contested catching ability.

So, who is the sixth man? Here's how you voted, given the option of Quick or UDFA's Duke Williams and Nelson Spruce:


POLL: who would you have take the final WR roster spot? Assume Austin, Britt, Cooper, Marquez, Thomas safe.

38%Brian Quick
40%Duke Williams
22%Nelson Spruce
392 votes • Final results

It appears that 62% of you were ready to move on from Quick.

 

[Roman Snow]

A very interest concluding statement. Polls can be very deceptive. Can't they?

I agree that many are willing to "move on" from Brian Quick. But if you wanted to know how many voters were willing to move on from Brian Quick it would be presented differently.

As far as my Receiver that I think should earn the sixth spot? Too early. I'm not biting.

I respect these guys too much. There is a lot of pressure on these young men. Keep in mind many of them are 21-22 years old! Fighting for their NFL dream. Some of them (Duke Williams, for sure) are not anxious to go back home.

Now, if I can control the question a little, I would position different players as "safe". I will list my six that I guess, at this early stage, will make the team, and those that the Rams will try to resign onto the practice squad:

1. Tavon Austin
2. Kenny Britt
3. Pharoh Cooper
4. Brian Quick
5. Nelson Spruce
6. Duke Williams

Practice squad: Marquez North, Mike Thomas.

In a shocker, Williams beats Thomas for the 53. Thomas is deemed easier to plug in under the radar on the PS as he works on his consistency catching the ball. He may supplant Quick on the roster by next year.

Marquez is released as others shine in practice squad slots (Spruce? Randolph?) The heavy influx of UDFA receivers produced an incredible competition. Guys like McRoberts are grudgingly let go, but quickly signed onto other teams practice squads.

 

[StealYoGurley]

The way I see it

Safest Bets​

1. Austin- a lock
2. Britt- Most experienced and most proven deep threat. Foles/Keenum missed him a bunch deep last year. He is a Fisher guy, solid blocker, and good size so most likely safe.
3. Cooper- Coaches already drooling over him. I expect him to fill the slot role we desperately needed last year as a chain move after Bailey went down.
4. Marquez- IMO on a Jeff Fisher coached team he is a lock, because I don't see anyone in the UDFA WR crop being better than him on special teams. Matthew Slater type special teamer who can give you something in the slot

Bubble (2 Spots)
(Candidates: Quick, McRoberts, Duke Williams, Mike Thomas, Nelson Spruce, and Marquez North)​

5. Mike Thomas- Most recent draft pick in the bunch, makes some highlight real plays. Could really stand out once the pads come on.
6. Marquez North- Could be several guys, but I really like North. IMO North is the highest upside UDFA. Career got derailed by injury. Could be what we expected out of Quick because he is already more physical and played against elite competition in the SEC.

The Other Guys​

Quick- I am done waiting on him. There are plenty of young promising prospects who deserve a their first shot before Quick deserves his 5th.
Spruce- Intriguing guy, but he is competing for the backup slot role behind Cooper. I just don't think he can offer what Marquez gives you as an elite special teamer, so I give Marquez the slight advantage. Good bet for the Practice Squad though.
McRoberts- Not sure he is ready for the step up in competition
Duke Williams- Big name, but overrated big slot at Auburn. Tested terribly at the combine, but he played at Auburn so you never know with Snisher.

 

[den-the-coach]

4. Marquez- IMO on a Jeff Fisher coached team he is a lock, because I don't see anyone in the UDFA WR crop being better than him on special teams. Matthew Slater type special teamer who can give you something in the slot

Bubble (2 Spots)
(​

6. Marquez North- Could be several guys, but I really like North. IMO North is the highest upside UDFA. Career got derailed by injury. Could be what we expected out of Quick because he is already more physical and played against elite competition in the SEC.

​

Spruce- Intriguing guy, but he is competing for the backup slot role behind Cooper. I just don't think he can offer what Marquez gives you as an elite special teamer, so I give Marquez the slight advantage. Good bet for the Practice Squad though.

Great insight....As to Bradley Marquez I need to see more of him at WR, I felt Marquez could not separate himself from press coverage and he will need to improve in order to make the squad this year regardless of special teams.

Nelson Spruce I feel could offer just as much on special teams as Bradley Marquez so IMO, the best WR will get the roster spot.

Marquez North could not stay healthy so I would be shocked if he is able to at this level, but if he is, North is one of the few receives that has the 40 speed to beat the zone coverage over the top or man to man on a straight fly pattern.

 

[RamsJunkie]

Here is how I'm hoping it goes
1. Austin
2. Britt
3. Cooper
4. Duke Williams
5. Mike Thomas
6. Nelson Spruce

 

[StealYoGurley]

Nelson Spruce I feel could offer just as much on special teams as Bradley Marquez so IMO, the best WR will get the roster spot.

Possible, but I don't think Spruce played special teams in college whereas Marquez did and you could already see he was very talented in that regard. Its not very easy to find elite offensive special teamers especially at WR. If the Rams could do it 2 years in row that would be quite something. When you are talking about the 5th or 6th WR spot in a run heavy offense you really have to stand out on special teams. I know Marquez can, but I haven't seen enough of Spruce in that regard to make sound judgement.

Marquez North could not stay healthy so I would be shocked if he is able to at this level, but if he is, North is one of the few receives that has the 40 speed to beat the zone coverage over the top or man to man on a straight fly pattern.

I agree health is a big time issue, but if he's healthy he has big time upside. The only big WRs that graded better than him athletically in this years draft class were Josh Doctson and Devon Cajuste. He has a similar athletic profile to Demaryius Thomas and Josh Gordon. I don't have a ton of background on his injuries so hopefully they aren't things that will come back and hurt him.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Which Rams Wide Receiver Should Earn The Sixth Spot?
By RamBuck

[www.turfshowtimes.com]

Last Thursday, TST tweeted a poll question: "Who would you have take the final WR roster spot? Assume Austin, Britt, Cooper, (Bradley) Marquez, Thomas safe." Well, you voted and the results are interesting.

The Rams carried six wide receivers in 2015 (Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, Brian Quick and Bradley Marquez). A good bit has changed since then, with Givens being traded to Baltimore and Bailey being waived in early June.

What has remained the same is that the Rams are still looking for consistency among their WR corps, and for a potential high-volume target to work the intermediate levels. A short summary of each rostered WR's career with the Rams:

Austin: bubble screens, sweeps, reverses and any other way to get him the ball without actually passing it further than five yards. A game-breaker with the ball in his hands, the Rams have struggled to get him involved in intermediate/deep passing. De facto #1.

Britt: second in the NFL in yards per reception (18.9) last year. A solid deep threat but not a high-volume target. Can take over a game AND disappear within two weeks.

Quick: all hypothetical and little production. When healthy, he flashes the ability to be a #1 WR but not the consistency in hauling in contested catches, beating press coverage and being a true game-breaker. Quick signed a 1-year prove it deal this offseason, and is likely on the bubble if he doesn't have a good camp.

Marquez: showed very good hands and route running with limited snaps. Took over Bailey's role after his injury. Finished with 13 receptions on 22 targets. A core special teams player (11 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in 16 games), he will likely be safe due to his experience there (but who knows for sure).

We assume that fourth round-pick Pharoh Cooper and sixth round-pick Michael Thomas are safe, considering Cooper is drawing rave reviews in OTAs and Thomas is a developmental prospect with deep ball skills and contested catching ability.

So, who is the sixth man? Here's how you voted, given the option of Quick or UDFA's Duke Williams and Nelson Spruce:


POLL: who would you have take the final WR roster spot? Assume Austin, Britt, Cooper, Marquez, Thomas safe.

38%Brian Quick
40%Duke Williams
22%Nelson Spruce
392 votes • Final results

It appears that 62% of you were ready to move on from Quick.

I'm VERY surprised there's no love for North in this Poll! I wouldn't count him out of the running!

 

[Rams43]

We have been given such limited information about the WR's from the OTA drills.

Several good to glowing reports on Cooper.

Another few good comments about Spruce.

I recall exactly one positive saying Marquez was having a good OTA.

And there was the report of Thomas dropping a nice would be TD pass from Goff.

And that was about it, wasn't it?

Sooooo...

Other than the obvious Cooper, how does one draw meaningful conclusions from THAT?

 

[hotanez]

The way I see it

Safest Bets​

1. Austin- a lock
2. Britt- Most experienced and most proven deep threat. Foles/Keenum missed him a bunch deep last year. He is a Fisher guy, solid blocker, and good size so most likely safe.
3. Cooper- Coaches already drooling over him. I expect him to fill the slot role we desperately needed last year as a chain move after Bailey went down.
4. Marquez- IMO on a Jeff Fisher coached team he is a lock, because I don't see anyone in the UDFA WR crop being better than him on special teams. Matthew Slater type special teamer who can give you something in the slot

Bubble (2 Spots)
(Candidates: Quick, McRoberts, Duke Williams, Mike Thomas, Nelson Spruce, and Marquez North)​

5. Mike Thomas- Most recent draft pick in the bunch, makes some highlight real plays. Could really stand out once the pads come on.
6. Marquez North- Could be several guys, but I really like North. IMO North is the highest upside UDFA. Career got derailed by injury. Could be what we expected out of Quick because he is already more physical and played against elite competition in the SEC.

The Other Guys​

Quick- I am done waiting on him. There are plenty of young promising prospects who deserve a their first shot before Quick deserves his 5th.
Spruce- Intriguing guy, but he is competing for the backup slot role behind Cooper. I just don't think he can offer what Marquez gives you as an elite special teamer, so I give Marquez the slight advantage. Good bet for the Practice Squad though.
McRoberts- Not sure he is ready for the step up in competition
Duke Williams- Big name, but overrated big slot at Auburn. Tested terribly at the combine, but he played at Auburn so you never know with Snisher.

THIS^

 

[LACHAMP46]

As to Bradley Marquez I need to see more of him at WR, I felt Marquez could not separate himself from press coverage and he will need to improve in order to make the squad this year regardless of special teams.

Somewhere I read he averaged 5 ypc.....Not sure if he just lacks ability, or all of his routes were 3 yard curls....almost an impossible stat to match...Agree 100%

Marquez North could not stay healthy so I would be shocked if he is able to at this level, but if he is, North is one of the few receives that has the 40 speed to beat the zone coverage over the top or man to man on a straight fly pattern.

He's also a beastly ST'er.....loves to cover punts....tackle...block...No serious knee injuries I believe...and looks healthy from camp photos...the no news thing about him is concerning...probably still learning the playbook. I'd be kinda upset if we cut this kid...I like him a lil more than Cooper...and I like Cooper...

Its not very easy to find elite offensive special teamers especially at WR.

See above....North is a beastly player. Very physical....

I don't wanna cut Bradley Marquez...but I do want real wrs on the roster....I'd fill most of the ST positions with defensive players.

I don't see a physical bone in Spruce's body...JAG

Thomas might drop some balls, but at least he's getting open deep...
Austin-Britt-Quick (still the best wr on team)-Cooper-Thomas-North.....need to see Duke & McRoberts in pads...but I'm leaning towards keeping 7 wrs....and if something happens (like NO production from Quick) maybe trimming the number to 6 when Tre or somebody (TJ Mac?) comes off suspension....

It's really tough to cut a Bradley Marquez....but 5 ypc....geez, my moma could average 10 ypc....

 

[Roman Snow]

t's really tough to cut a Bradley Marquez....but 5 ypc....geez, my moma could average 10 ypc....

:burp: "Can your mom cut on a dime?"

 

[fancents86]

Considering there is pretty much nothing to go on, I can only go off of the ones who have been written on the most, and those two are Nelson and Cooper. So that's my pick.

 

[dieterbrock]

If Quick is to make the team, he should have to beat out Britt to do so.
No sense in having both guys.
That said, I hope Britt is on the team

 

[den-the-coach]

:burp: "Can your mom cut on a dime?"

She cuts on my dime...Sorry gentlemen, I could not resist.

 

[blackbart]

I think there are at least 2 spots open and I'll wait until we see what happens when they put the pads on

 

[…..]

Put me in the group that thinks NO ONE is so valuable to special teams as to have a golden ticket. Marquez and Reynolds both should be expendable if there are those who can contribute more to the offense.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Not happening.

.