LA Rams: 3 ways WR Ben Skowronek contributes to offense instantly
In LA Rams News: Many expect that rookie WR Ben Skowronek will be ST only, but here are three ways that he contributes to offense instantly
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3 ways WR Ben Skowronek contributes to offense instantly
Adding a wide receiver in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft initially appeared to be an extravagance that the LA Rams could do without. After parting ways with Josh Reynold via free agency, the already well-rostered receiver room of the LA Rams added veteran DeSean Jackson and rookie Tutu Atwell. At that point, and thanks to the presence of perceived other roster needs, the Rams felt rather saturated.Adding one more player in the draft not only felt futile but even should that player succeed and end up on the roster, a returning veteran from the team’s 2020 NFL season would therefore not. So the net effect would be a wash.
And yet, the LA Rams selected wide receiver, Ben Skowronek, from the University of Notre Dame with their 249th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a receiver with intriguing size at 6-foot-3 and 220-pounds. While he was blessed with the size of outbound wide receiver Josh Reynolds, he doesn’t come close to Reynolds’ speed. Skowronek ran a 4.68 -second 40-yard dash. But don’t discount Skowronek’s abilities just yet.
View: https://twitter.com/glennmariniwane/status/1410808426943426561?s=21
A good sign for a rookie in the LA Rams offense is emerging from OTAs with a smile.
A very good sign is a rookie wide receiver emerging from the Rams OTAs looking forward to the next chapter of training camp. Of course, the optimism meter is buried to maximum on every player right now. So what makes us think that Skowronek will contribute to the offense? Hmm… perhaps these three reasons?
Sure handed
Successful offenses mix a complementary blend of receiver talents, which gives the play-calling various options throughout the course of a football game. In 2020, the LA Rams receivers seemed to all play a very similar style. While it’s tough to find many faults with the play of veteran receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, the Rams offense felt like it needed other types of targets at times. Of course, when your uncle is former Rams quarterback Trent Green, that can open a door or two
View: https://twitter.com/trentgreen10/status/1388624746317746185?s=21
Skowronek has strong muscular paws that squeeze on the football like a vise. He may not be fast, but he’s furious. Rather than an arsenal of speed or separation skills, this guy offers the finesse of a quarterhorse. When the Rams offense runs up against a rather physical secondary, he is the guy you will applaud quickly, because he can be one tough sonofagun when the ball is in the air.
View: https://twitter.com/pff_rams/status/1388622692866150400?s=21
The guy is a ferocious receiver and loves to rip the ball out of defenders’ hands. He loves to pit his ability against that of a defender because he more often than not wins. Those are excellent qualities, and certainly seem to be areas not currently possessed by the team’s previous receiving corps.
Skowronek won’t endanger any of the Rams’ top three receivers. But he may be a guy that head coach Sean McVay slips onto the field for specific down and distances, or perhaps in the red zone. We know that veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford loves to thread the needle on his passes. It could be that due to Stafford, Skowronek will see passes thrown his way.
Big bodied blocker
It’s not uncommon for a wide receiver to shy away from physical contact. But you really won’t find those types of receivers on the LA Rams roster. It’s simple. On this LA Rams offense, if you don’t block, you won’t see the football. Of course, standing 6-foot-3 and tipping the scales at 220-pounds does tend to give a different type of perspective. For starters, Ben Skowronek doesn’t shy away from contact. In fact, he seeks it out. You see, he loves to hit people.
View: https://twitter.com/jourdanrodrigue/status/1388622516839542787?s=21
Hitting people is not the first thing that comes to mind for a receiver, is it? Somehow though, I like it.
The LA Rams love to see a receiver put the pads on a defensive back or linebacker, and Skowronek has the mindset wired to do exactly that. So will that create more opportunities for Skowronek in this offense? You bet. Until now, tight end Johnny Mundt has enjoyed a bit of a monopoly on the blocking tight end role in the Rams offense. Now, he faces competition.
Imagine the upside if Skowronek is as sure-handed of a receiver as advertised? I mean, that size player certainly has enough pop in his blocks to move some people off the ball. If he can both catch and block, he becomes a very valuable weapon in the Rams offense. And valuable weapons find a way onto the football field.
His blocking adds a new dimension to a wide receiver screen. He can become an effective lead blocker for a jet sweep to his side. He can even mix things up a bit by playing either fullback, power-back, or H-back roles in the Rams offense. On an offense that is seeking ways to score more points, there most certainly will be a place for a blocker who can come down with the ball.
Heavy traffic operator
One of the early roles in DeSean Jackson’s career was the crossing route. His speed was such that no linebacker could cover him, and he was virtually always open when the secondary transitioned from covering him on one side to the other side. Of course, the heart of the defense may be open, but crossing routes take a heavy toll on one of the lighter NFL receivers.
That won’t be the case with Skowronek. While he cannot hope to accelerate to a DeSean Jackso-like speed, he is far more durable and has a much better pass catch radius for ending up with the ball. Because he can be goaded into mixing it up on the line of scrimmage, Skowronek must focus intensively upon getting a free release off the line of scrimmage.
Of course, once that is accomplished, he is good with close defenders while running his route. In fact, he can operate very well in heavy traffic. And the Rams have a quarterback who won’t hesitate to throw into traffic. Is this a win-win?
View: https://twitter.com/bradkelly17/status/1354615613151444995?s=21
On paper so far, it appears to be.
Can Skowronek be as successful in the pros when the bodies pack tighter? There are reasons to believe that he can. His size will continue to be a bit of an advantage against defensive backs, although the Rams will need to create mismatches. But this young man is not timid, does not back down, and is emerging with confidence intact after OTAs. He was compared to Green Bay Packers’ tight end Robert Tonyan in his draft profile, and that is a valid NFL comparison.
Skowronek will certainly compete for roles on returns and coverage, but don’t limit the rookie to special teams just yet. He loves to bang bodies, and the LA Rams could use a boost to that mindset on offense.
