Drake Stoops

[SteezyEndo]

This^ 4.71 40.

He can do running drills in the hot california sand on the beach…

 

[Memento]

Hasn't the Sutton ship sailed?

I'm not sure. The Broncos have a lot of receivers. They signed Josh Reynolds and Lil"Jordan Humphrey this year, drafted Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele this year, drafted Marvin Mims last year, and they still have Tim Patrick rehabbing. There's a lot of smoke. Maybe no fire, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sutton was on the move later in the season.

Well let's look at the WR roster... Assuming they keep 6:

Roster spot guaranteed:

Kupp. Lot of folks worried about his health but he tends to come back on fire after he misses time. I don't bet against this dude.

Nacua. Similar game to Kupp and similar drawback, he is physical and takes a lot of hits.

Robinson. It is possible he gets challenged for that WR3 role. But to start the season he's got a job.


Borderline:

Chatarius (fixed). I almost put him in the guaranteed area but I think it is possible he gets beaten out for a couple reasons. The first is because he has not added much on the field for the offense, and WR is a position where you should show relatively quickly if you have skills and fit. The second because he doesn't add shit to teams. I think if he wants to make sure he's got a job he has to improve at least on teams, but preferably in both. He probably backs up Robinson this season.

Skow. Like with Tutu I think Skow is borderline. I just can't quite put him in guaranteed. His value is of course teams but also flexibility off the bench. That is a very tough combination for a rook to beat out. Should probably have him ahead of Tutu but the reason Tutu is ahead of him overall is speed. Nobody else has that in this room. Skow slots behind Nacua in terms of depth but of course can be moved around.

Battling for their jobs:

Whittington. Being a 6th rounder may not sound like much but when you're lumped in with a bunch of UDFAs it means there is some extra value attached to your name. Of course that won't win him a job with McVay. But he will start camp with every opportunity to earn that slot backup role. Having someone on that depth chart who can fill for Kupp if he misses time is important. This guy has advantages in that he is a strong blocker and team type, so the fit is strong. Also this makes that depth chart competition quite grueling for the rest of these guys under him because this is 6, so for someone to make a roster spot as a 7th wideout you gotta really show well on teams IMO.

Smith. This guy is a threat to Tutu's job. He's been around a little while now, brings some really good all around skills in that small package. No fanfare. Nobody talking him up. But I think he's a roster darkhorse for this WR group. Problem for this dude is now is the time to make your move. If you don't, there are some kids below you coming for the spot you're sitting in.

Johnson. Has some nice length to him, good mix of skills. But like with Smith now is his camp to make his move. If not, there is no guarantee he's gonna have a PS spot let alone a roster job. When you're here, the priority needs to be teams and upside. So he's got his work cut out.

Stoops. I have to admit his film is intriguing. Think he's too small, but he's not the smallest dude in this wideout room. He has the suddenness and body control I like in a slot. But chances are he'll slot behind Whittington. So what does he bring on teams. You know how he can win a roster spot immediately? That's right, by showing on returns. None of these guys above him are noteworthy in that regard. Paydirt right there if he can do it.

Laap. Finding film on this dude is impossible. For me at least. Look forward to seeing him in preseason but boy is it gonna be tough for him to move up this chart. Like with Stoops I'd be working the Juggs with that thing pointed skyward and angling for a returns job.

Wiggy. I don't see the suddenness that Stoops shows on the limited film on this dude. Look forward to seeing him play but I think he is the longest of shots to do any depth chart climbing.

Got your list, and I don't disagree with the guarantees. Bolded are whom I think make the immediate roster; italics and underlines are whom I think make at least practice squad; strike-throughs are whom I think either lose their job in training camp or later in the season.

Xavier Smith has a very real possibility to win the punt return and kick return jobs. He's absolutely electric, small (5'9", 174 lbs.), but he's a tough son of a bitch to hit and take down. The problem I have is that he'll be twenty-eight in September, and, of course, because he's small. I just don't see it. If someone's taking Atwell's job (a possibility via trade), it'll be a veteran, not a practice squad player.

Whittington is my guy. I bet he makes this team, and he'll be great. I have so much faith in this kid, it's not even funny; he will work on special teams, get a couple of snaps on the wide receiver corps, run-block, do all of the dirty work, maybe even return punts and kicks.

I see him taking Skowronek's spot (cost-wise, it'll cost a lot more to keep Skow than a rookie, unless he signs an extremely team-friendly deal.) This is coming from me, who loves her some Benny Skow, loves his special teams, loves his versatility...but Whittington brings versatility and teams as well at a lower cost, and with more potential.

Tyler Johnson is a solid backup, and he'll only be twenty-six in August. Fantastic hands. He's your immediate backup to Kupp and Nacua and Robinson. Will do a lot of dirty work, will play on teams as well.

Atwell, I bet, makes the immediate roster...but I bet he ends up on the Van Jefferson/Cam Akers path where he goes for a trade swap or as a tiny piece to a bigger trade. He has something nobody else on our roster has, but he's just so damn small, and he doesn't do any teams. He needs to really ball out this year - and I mean "ball-out" by taking Robinson's job - to stay. That's my prediction.

I don't see what y'all see in Stoops. Yes, he's sudden and twitchy, but so was Nelson Spruce. I don't see Amendola, I'm sorry. I see Spruce. He got force-fed the ball a lot at Oklahoma last year because their receiving corps sucked. Could he prove me wrong? Easily. But I see more of Spruce than Amendola in Stoops.

I see it in Wiglusz, though. He's not sudden, but incredibly smooth, and I wouldn't bet against him because he did so much teams at Ohio State as a walk-on no star recruit not promised anything (unlike Stoops. who - along with his brother, Isaac - got preferred walk-on status), run-blocked, did everything without complaint. And then he went to Ohio, balled out his senior year, got injured in his graduate year, played through it, didn't have as good a year. He still made the MAC First Team. He's bigger and faster than Stoops as well. Not as twitchy, but definitely more talented, and more experienced on teams. I think he's the kind of player McVay wants on this team. I don't think he's going to make the active roster, but the practice squad? Absolutely, I think he has a chance.

As for Laap? Not a lot of tape; he played in Division III. But he dominated the level, and honestly, it wasn't even close. Those were video game statistics he had. I want to see what he can do against better players, and I bet he makes the practice squad.

That's just my thoughts, and I'm likely wrong, per usual, lawl.

 

[dieterbrock]

They might only keep 5 WR since they will be keeping 3 QB and 3/4 TE
Kupp, Puka, Demarcus are given's, and unless Whittington falls flat on his face, he's in. Skow is tough to replace because of his ST prowess. I'd say Tutu might have a shot because out of the rest of the guys, he'd likely be the only one who would get picked up if released. The rest of the guys will be eligible for the practice squad.

 

[dieterbrock]

I see him taking Skowronek's spot (cost-wise, it'll cost a lot more to keep Skow than a rookie, unless he signs an extremely team-friendly deal.)

Skow is making 1 mill, a rookie will make around 750-800k. Not seeing where there's any cap saving initiative there

 

[jjab360]

I'm not sure. The Broncos have a lot of receivers. They signed Josh Reynolds and Lil"Jordan Humphrey this year, drafted Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele this year, drafted Marvin Mims last year, and they still have Tim Patrick rehabbing. There's a lot of smoke. Maybe no fire, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sutton was on the move later in the season.



Got your list, and I don't disagree with the guarantees. Bolded are whom I think make the immediate roster; italics and underlines are whom I think make at least practice squad; strike-throughs are whom I think either lose their job in training camp or later in the season.

Xavier Smith has a very real possibility to win the punt return and kick return jobs. He's absolutely electric, small (5'9", 174 lbs.), but he's a tough son of a bitch to hit and take down. The problem I have is that he'll be twenty-eight in September, and, of course, because he's small. I just don't see it. If someone's taking Atwell's job (a possibility via trade), it'll be a veteran, not a practice squad player.

Whittington is my guy. I bet he makes this team, and he'll be great. I have so much faith in this kid, it's not even funny; he will work on special teams, get a couple of snaps on the wide receiver corps, run-block, do all of the dirty work, maybe even return punts and kicks.

I see him taking Skowronek's spot (cost-wise, it'll cost a lot more to keep Skow than a rookie, unless he signs an extremely team-friendly deal.) This is coming from me, who loves her some Benny Skow, loves his special teams, loves his versatility...but Whittington brings versatility and teams as well at a lower cost, and with more potential.

Tyler Johnson is a solid backup, and he'll only be twenty-six in August. Fantastic hands. He's your immediate backup to Kupp and Nacua and Robinson. Will do a lot of dirty work, will play on teams as well.

Atwell, I bet, makes the immediate roster...but I bet he ends up on the Van Jefferson/Cam Akers path where he goes for a trade swap or as a tiny piece to a bigger trade. He has something nobody else on our roster has, but he's just so damn small, and he doesn't do any teams. He needs to really ball out this year - and I mean "ball-out" by taking Robinson's job - to stay. That's my prediction.

I don't see what y'all see in Stoops. Yes, he's sudden and twitchy, but so was Nelson Spruce. I don't see Amendola, I'm sorry. I see Spruce. He got force-fed the ball a lot at Oklahoma last year because their receiving corps sucked. Could he prove me wrong? Easily. But I see more of Spruce than Amendola in Stoops.

I see it in Wiglusz, though. He's not sudden, but incredibly smooth, and I wouldn't bet against him because he did so much teams at Ohio State as a walk-on no star recruit not promised anything (unlike Stoops. who - along with his brother, Isaac - got preferred walk-on status), run-blocked, did everything without complaint. And then he went to Ohio, balled out his senior year, got injured in his graduate year, played through it, didn't have as good a year. He still made the MAC First Team. He's bigger and faster than Stoops as well. Not as twitchy, but definitely more talented, and more experienced on teams. I think he's the kind of player McVay wants on this team. I don't think he's going to make the active roster, but the practice squad? Absolutely, I think he has a chance.

As for Laap? Not a lot of tape; he played in Division III. But he dominated the level, and honestly, it wasn't even close. Those were video game statistics he had. I want to see what he can do against better players, and I bet he makes the practice squad.

That's just my thoughts, and I'm likely wrong, per usual, lawl.

Spruce was not as sudden and twitchy as this kid, he's got some Hunter Renfrow in him. Small and slow but all he does is get open and catch the ball. Jukes defenders completely out of their shoes at times and surprisingly hard to tackle in the open field.

He was more productive in the Big 12 than Wiglusz was in the MAC. Plus the little I could find of Wiglusz on YouTube I didn't see much there in comparison.

Whittington seems like a great guy and leader, I have no idea what to make of him as a WR. Looks like a RB running routes, I don't see him creating much separation at the next level tbh.

Stoops is my sleeper to make the team if he makes an impact on STs.

 

[Memento]

Spruce was not as sudden and twitchy as this kid, he's got some Hunter Renfrow in him. Small and slow but all he does is get open and catch the ball. Jukes defenders completely out of their shoes at times and surprisingly hard to tackle in the open field.

He was more productive in the Big 12 than Wiglusz was in the MAC. Plus the little I could find of Wiglusz on YouTube I didn't see much there in comparison.

Whittington seems like a great guy and leader, I have no idea what to make of him as a WR. Looks like a RB running routes, I don't see him creating much separation at the next level tbh.

Stoops is my sleeper to make the team if he makes an impact on STs.

Over the course of one year (Wiglusz had more touchdowns in his best year than Stoops did in his, and the injury slowed him down.) Wiglusz is still bigger, faster, and a hell of a lot more physical than Stoops. I'm not saying Stoops doesn't make it; I'm just saying that I like Wiglusz as a fit to this team more.

As for Whittington, he's a fantastic guy, but you have to think about his route running. He did start as a running back early on, but he's learned his craft, and while he'll never be the best route runner, he knows how to find the soft spot in zone, knows how to get contested catches against man, and when he has the ball in his hands, that's when the running back in him shows; physical, YAC, getting as much yardage as possible without coughing up the ball (which was rare for him; I didn't see a single target in 2022 where he fumbled. Occasional drops, but not a fumble.), and being a pain in the ass to get to the ground.

 

[Ramstien]

If he needs help with his route running, he has got two of the best in front of in Puka and Kupp to help him.

 

[Noregar]

These UDFA Receivers are an extreme long shots to make the 53 in 20224 unless there is spate of injuries and even then vets like Tyler Johnson should get the nod before them. We see it almost every year where we pull for these guys and a few sometimes hang around on the PS fringe but eventually they are replaced by a new batch of late round rookies and UDFA's and they soon beome an afterthought.

A guy like Trammel is one of the few lucky ones that stuck around for while but the cyle continues as the Rams appear to have moved on from him.

These UDFA receivers like Stoop are, at best, developmental PS guys who might get a shot in 2025.
Every year it seems that there is always a lot of competition for that final WR spot on the team.

 

[Oregonram]

Probably practice squad. Seems similar to Amendola to me

Amendola had some good seasons with us

 

[8to12]

Ah, I didn't see a reference in your post to '25.

No, I did not specifically refer to '25. But, maybe you were saying that some thought Ben Skow should be replaced in '24. IF so, then I was presuming without clarifying. EIther way, we both agree he is a key contributor while on the roster.

 

[WestCoastRam]

No, I did not specifically refer to '25. But, maybe you were saying that some thought Ben Skow should be replaced in '24. IF so, then I was presuming without clarifying. EIther way, we both agree he is a key contributor while on the roster.

Yes, ST contributors this year and in the future gonna be a big storyline.

 

[CoachAllred]

Skow is making 1 mill, a rookie will make around 750-800k. Not seeing where there's any cap saving initiative there

Just don't see Skow going anywhere. Special Team ace who has shown
he can contribute when needed.

As far as Stoops - he is a long shot. Nice college receiver not sure he has
the size to play for Rams. It's ok to be a smaller WR if your a burner, but Stoops
lacks size to be affective run blocker.
If he makes it great. I'm just not overly optimistic with his chances.

 

[fearsomefour]

Honestly, if there's one UDFA wide receiver rookie I'm keeping an eye on this year, it's Sam Wiglusz. Former Ohio State walk-on, stayed there for three years, playing sparingly before transferring to Ohio, where he played two years (senior year was better than graduate). Ran a bit faster than Stoops, and honestly, he reminds me more of Amendola than Stoops does.

If I'm really honest, though, I think Xavier Smith is the guy who sticks on the roster, along with Whittington. Laap is honestly more intriguing than Stoops as well; he utterly dominated his league, but does he have the ability to do the same at the professional level? Stoops did lead Oklahoma in every statistic, but Oklahoma had a huge down year last year, and hasn't had the receivers of the past.

Depending on what we do for wide receiver, we could easily cut Skowronek (for cap reasons) and/or deal Atwell for a pick-swap like Van Jefferson or as an add-on to someone like Courtland Sutton.

Will keep an eye on Wiglusz.
Haven't seen him play at all.
I forgot about Xavier Smith....keep waiting for him to get some reps.
Interesting that Trammel was getting some snaps instead of X Smith.

 

[RamsSince1969]

Benny Skow legendary unbelievable catch against the Raiders from Mayfield. That keeps him on the team! LOL!

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

After Spruce, I stopped having high expectations for UFA's. I know Ahead and Co. have found their share of decent to good players from that pool, including Aleric Jackson, Jonah Williams, even Radius Williams was an UFA from the Raiders. It just gets so hard to project these guys. They usually fit into one of three categories; all production without great physical traits, amazing physical traits but lower level experience, and then you get the more rare guys that have the measurable and proof of past success but just didn't do it consistently enough to be drafted.

The drafted players often don't pan out the way we hope, but they at least have a better chance of sticking. If any of these players were goid enough, or safe enough to be drafted, they would have been.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

One difference we might see this year, is the Rams not being afraid of letting a few veteran players go that haven't produced much. They signed Jonah Jackson, Darius Williams, Colby Parkinson and Tre White in free agency, so they don't need to hang onto every fringe player who might net them a late comp pick, because they aren't likely to get any comp picks anyway. They could take some risks on these young players, if they want to, without the comp pick formula factoring in.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

Anybody who says tutu doesn't offer the Rams anything, they're dreaming.

Any wr that can catch a ball like this can offer every team something.

TD vs Lions



.

 

[Oyster]

.

Anybody who says tutu doesn't offer the Rams anything, they're dreaming.

Any wr that can catch a ball like this can offer every team something.

TD vs Lions



.

I remember loudly exclaiming "TUTU!" quite a few times last season. He made some catches. I'd like to keep him.

 

[fearsomefour]

They might only keep 5 WR since they will be keeping 3 QB and 3/4 TE
Kupp, Puka, Demarcus are given's, and unless Whittington falls flat on his face, he's in. Skow is tough to replace because of his ST prowess. I'd say Tutu might have a shot because out of the rest of the guys, he'd likely be the only one who would get picked up if released. The rest of the guys will be eligible for the practice squad.

I don't get the Robinson love.
Well, I do. He came in and was productive.
Tutu is still a more dangerous receiver in my mind. When you add in his PI yards, much, much more productive.
Id still prefer Tutu over Robinson by a fair margin.
In reality, there is room for both if McVay doesn't do his weirdo fan boy thing with certain players.

 

[dieterbrock]

I don't get the Robinson love.
Well, I do. He came in and was productive.
Tutu is still a more dangerous receiver in my mind. When you add in his PI yards, much, much more productive.
Id still prefer Tutu over Robinson by a fair margin.
In reality, there is room for both if McVay doesn't do his weirdo fan boy thing with certain players.

Rams gave Robinson a virtually guaranteed 4 mill deal for this year, Tutu's salary is non-guaranteed. That basically says it all for comparison purposes.
Tutu appeared to have turned a corner last year when Kupp was out, but as soon as Kupp came back, Atwell's production virtually disappeared. Only 17 catches for 213 yards in his last 13 games. Meanwhile, as Tutu was statistically AWOL, Robinson stepped up.
One thing is for sure, if we see a lot of Tutu in pre-season it would be both a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time.
I'll never understand why he didnt develop as a kick or punt returner