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In thinking about this mock, I wanted to try and find a situation where the Rams could have a new coaching staff come in and build a team capable of contending for the playoffs in year one. We're currently #8 in the draft order so that's where I have us picking.
Hire
Adam Gase HC
Mike McCoy OC
Mike Nolan DC
Hue Jackson chooses another team with a better QB situation (San Diego?). The Rams bring in a bright offensive mind in Adam Gase. Gase brings in Mike McCoy who was fired by the Chargers. Gase worked under McCoy when McCoy was OC in Denver. Mike Nolan worked with McCoy and Gase in Denver under Josh McDaniels. Nolan currently works under McCoy in San Diego. He's a highly respected defensive mind that has had success running both the 3-4 and 4-3. Another interesting point? Adam Gase worked closely with Mike Martz in Martz's later years.
Cut
Jared Cook TE
Rodger Saffold OG
Kenny Britt WR
Chris Long DE
Nick Foles QB
Re-sign
Janoris Jenkins - 5 years $55 million (after being franchised)
Rodney McLeod - 3 years $10.5 million
Greg Zuerlein - 3 years $6 million
Will Hayes - 2 years $6 million
Tim Barnes - 2 years $3 million
Daren Bates - RFA Tender
Benny Cunningham - RFA Tender
Cody Davis - RFA Tender
Cory Harkey - 2 years $3 million
I can't take any more of Nick Foles at QB. We don't save much when we cut him but he's just not worth the roster spot. Barron walks in FA because he doesn't have a spot here after the departure of Williams and it's time for Mo Alexander to get a chance to show what he's worth (despite him still struggling a bit). Cutting Chris Long hurts but it's time. He can't stay healthy and his skills are declining. I also let Trumaine Johnson walk in FA because E.J. Gaines will be returning and LaMarcus Joyner has shown a lot of improvement this year.
Free Agency
Colin Kaepernick QB - 2 years $16 million
Cordy Glenn OT/OG - 5 years $40 million
Vinny Curry DE - 3 years $15 million
Jaron Brown WR - 3 years $6 million
Akiem Hicks DT - 2 years $4 million
I agree with Memphis Ram on this one. I think Kaepernick was being utilized poorly by San Francisco. He has his flaws and limitations. I've been adamant about that since he became a starter even when analysts were claiming he was the next big thing. That all said, Mike McCoy and Adam Gase ran an offense centered around Tim Tebow's legs and the Broncos running game back in 2011 with decent success considering Tebow's limitations. Kaepernick has a lot more ability as a passer than Tebow to keep defenses honest and more talent as a runner. He's not the future but he can put us in contention as a bridge QB and make our running game extremely difficult to defend. We've seen how difficult it is to stop Gurley when you have to respect Austin. Now, you have to respect a 6'5" 230 pound QB that can take it the distance and Austin. Kaepernick can do enough as a passer on top of his running ability that defenses can't put everyone in the box. This gives our offense a chance to be serviceable in 2016 which will be enough with our defense.
This is an interesting signing. Paying Cordy Glenn $8 million a year at LT is overvaluing him. Eugene Monroe, Jared Veldheer, and Will Beatty all received less than that and are better LTs. However, Glenn isn't being paid $8 million a year to be our LT. Like Leonard Davis, he's only an average LT. However, I think he'll be an elite OG. So I'm paying him top money to play OG and the versatility to play LT helps if Greg Robinson can't get it figured out. If Robinson can't develop enough his third year, we move Glenn to LT and Robinson to LG in his 4th year. Not ideal but hopefully Greg can develop. Because I think Glenn will make one hell of a LG.
Vinny Curry steps in to replace Long. He will rotate with Hayes and Westbrooks at LDE and give Quinn a breather at RDE. Has been a fairly productive pass rusher in the Eagles 3-4 scheme the past two years with 9 sacks in 2014. I think he's a better fit in the 4-3 so there's potential for him to step up and take the starting LDE job here.
Jaron Brown might be a curious signing to some and I can understand the skepticism. For me, I like to look for guys in FA that I think are being underutilized so we can get good value. Brown is on the deepest WR corp in football and it's clear that Arians wants speed (John Brown and J.J. Nelson). Brown is more of a possession WR. He plays some and he looks good to me when he does play. But he doesn't get a ton of PT. As I said though, when he has played, I've been impressed. I think he can fill a role as a #4 WR here with Stedman likely being done. Brown is a RFA but Arizona has some key FAs and guys they need to extend. I think they'll put original round tender on him (he was a UDFA) and won't match the Rams offer.
Akiem Hicks replaces Nick Fairley. He's an extremely talented athlete that fits the Waufle mold (hoping we can retain him) in terms of size (6'5" 325) who has underachieved a bit thus far in his career but also shown flashes of brilliance. We have arguably the best DL Coach in the NFL. I think he might be able to bring out the best in Hicks who is still a young player.
Trade
Rams trade Round 4 Pick #8
Steelers trade Markus Wheaton
Rams trade HB Tre Mason
Cowboys trade Round 4 Pick #5
Markus Wheaton is a talented player but the emergence of Martavis Bryant and with Antonio Brown locked in as a #1 WR, Wheaton doesn't typically see a ton of targets. The Steelers also drafted Sammie Coates. With Wheaton in the final year of his rookie deal, they take a trade for him and let Coates step up into his role. I loved Wheaton as a prospect and I've seen a lot of progression from him in the NFL. I think if he were given a larger role in Pittsburgh, he'd produce well. I think we're buying low on a talented WR. Some might not like giving up a 4th and I can't blame them. However, I think Wheaton can be a good #2 WR for this team and will prove to be worth the deal. Look at how Emmanuel Sanders stepped up in Denver. I think Wheaton has a very similar skill-set to Sanders.
The Cowboys need a HB and Mason is a talented kid that is a good fit behind their incredibly talented OL. Mason deserves a shot at starting somewhere and is good value for a 4th round pick as he's still on his rookie deal. With Gurley here and Benny operating as the third down HB, Mason just doesn't have enough of a role on the Rams right now. Good deal for both sides.
NFL Draft
Round 1 Pick #8 - Connor Cook QB Michigan State
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsGHAEUwvRc
Analysis: I know that people are split on Cook but I think he's the QB we have the best shot at and I think with the two year window to develop him that Kaepernick gives us, it's a smart risk to take. Connor Cook is coming out of a pro style system and is a three year starter. I gave a very detailed breakdown of him in the 2016 QB thread in Rams Discussion. Why Cook? He has some warts (if he didn't, he'd go top 5) but he has done a number of things at the college level that translate incredibly well to the pro game. Cook displays the ability to throw with anticipation, throw his WRs open, fit the ball into tight windows, hang in the pocket and make throws while under pressure, and maneuver a chaotic pocket. He also absolutely destroys the blitz. He's special in that regard. He reads the blitz as well as anyone I've evaluated at the college level and finds his match-up. When he needs to get the ball out hot, he does so. When he sees that he has a match-up advantage, he goes after it. Cook has inconsistencies in his game (especially in his lower body mechanics), he's streaky, and makes some boneheaded decisions but he's a guy that also is capable of doing things you only see out of veteran QBs (throwing before the WR has made his break into a tight window created by him looking off the safety). There's some Cutler and Eli to his game but you get both the bad and the good. He'll make mistakes as a rookie but he has the potential to be an Eli caliber player in the NFL and I think the odds are good that he becomes at least Cutler good if he lands in the right environment. It also doesn't hurt that Adam Gase has worked wonders with Jay Cutler this year.
NFL Comparison: Jay Cutler (with Eli Manning as a ceiling)
Round 2 Pick #8 - Corey Coleman WR Baylor
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p71WcAjf94A
Analysis: Just mixing it up here a bit. This is in case Tyler Boyd goes in the 1st round. Corey Coleman has been one of the best and most productive WRs in the NCAA this year. He's racked up 1363 receiving yards and 20 receiving TDs. Coleman is undersized at 5'10" 190 but he boasts absolutely freakish athleticism. Reportedly, he'll run in the 4.3s in the 40 and has a 43 inch vertical jump to match. On the field, Coleman's explosive speed shines through and makes him one of the best deep threats in college football. On top of that, Coleman has great agility and elusiveness with the ball in his hands which makes him very difficult to tackle and runs with surprising physicality. He's also a physical player when running routes and is willing to mix it up with defenders. His agility and speed make it extremely difficult to press him. Coleman's hands are solid but not elite. He'll drop some passes that he should catch but is also capable of making tough catches in traffic. The Baylor offense is not pro style at all and runs a limited route tree so he'll definitely need development on his route running and patience. Also, Art Briles doesn't ask his WRs to block in the running game (to conserve energy) so that will be one area where Coleman will also need development and will need to know that in the NFL, he'll have to give 110% as a blocker as well as a receiver. That all said, I don't doubt he can block as he's surprisingly strong for his size and has that Steve Smith sort of swagger to him.
NFL Comparison: Santana Moss
Round 2 Pick #15 - Hunter Henry TE Arkansas
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8roJxXin-w
Analysis: I'm a big fan of Evan Engram but I think Hunter Henry makes more sense here for Gase's system. Henry has prototypical NFL TE size at 6'5" 250 and has been highly productive for Arkansas this year and throughout his career. He possesses great hands and is known for making tough catches in traffic. He's a very reliable option in the passing game with the acceleration and agility to get open on short to intermediate routes. Doesn't have game-breaking speed but has enough speed to threaten the seam. Basically, he's a good athlete with great hands and size. As a blocker, he's pretty average. Doesn't overpower guys when blocking inline. His fundamentals and technique are pretty sound. They can better but they're not bad. But he's more of a wall them off blocker than a bury them in the dirt blocker. That all said, he's an effective enough blocker due to his size and technique that he won't be a liability if asked to block inline. Not a good pass blocker...but we're not drafting the guy to pass block.
NFL Comparison: Tyler Eifert
Round 3 Pick #8 - Roger Lewis WR Bowling Green
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpPqP9vFqWA
Analysis: As you guys can see, I'm very serious about fixing this WR problem. Some will say it's overkill but we had a similar problem at DB and then we went out and drafted Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson in back to back rounds. Lewis currently leads the NCAA in receiving yards as a true sophomore. He's draft eligible because he sat out a year between high school and college to get his legal affairs in order.(was charged with rape by an ex-girlfriend but was acquitted of one charge and had a hung jury for the other charge so ended up pleading to lying to the police) Would have gone to Ohio State out of HS if not for the legal troubles. The character concerns push him down the board to the 3rd round but this kid has serious talent. He's also one of the best deep threats in college football boasting a great speed at 6'0" 200. On top of that, he's shown the ability to make some amazing catches this year. He also runs solid routes for a guy his age. He's young, needs development, and is coming from a spread offense but he has first round talent on the field. This kid is a potential major steal.
NFL Comparison: Santonio Holmes
Round 4 Pick #5 - Kentrell Brothers ILB Missouri
Projected Starters
QB: Colin Kaepernick
HB: Todd Gurley
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Tavon Austin
ZWR: Markus Wheaton
SLWR: Jaron Brown
TE: Lance Kendricks
LT: Greg Robinson
LG: Cordy Glenn
C: Tim Barnes
RG: Jamon Brown
RT: Rob Havenstein
LDE: Will Hayes
LDT: Michael Brockers
RDT: Aaron Donald
RDE: Robert Quinn
OLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
OLB: Akeem Ayers
LCB: E.J. Gaines
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
SLCB: LaMarcus Joyner
FS: Rodney McLeod
SS: T.J. McDonald
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
I know what some will say...why all the small WRs? We need big WRs. I disagree. We need talented WRs. So I went after guys that I thought were extremely talented and great value. Yep, Brown is the biggest at 6'2" but if I've learned anything watching successful teams, you don't need size at WR. You just need guys that can win their match-ups and a QB that can get them the ball. Plus, Henry gives us a 6'5" red-zone presence with great hands.
Plus, I thought that putting all this speed and explosiveness on the outside made a lot of sense with the offense we'll be running. With Kaepernick and Gurley in the run game, teams are going to want to stack the box but when we have a ton of speed and explosiveness at WR, they're going to have to pick their poison. You stack the box, we'll use our play-action passing to go deep with all that speed at WR. Kind of like what Arizona does. Kaepernick certainly has the arm to get it deep. And with Cook's aggressiveness and down-field throwing ability, I think they'll fit him well when he's ready to be our QB.
I also realize that I didn't pencil in any of the rookies to start. I believe in guys earning their job. If the rookie WRs or Henry or Brothers are ready to start, play them. If not, play a guy that's ready to be on the field.
Hire
Adam Gase HC
Mike McCoy OC
Mike Nolan DC
Hue Jackson chooses another team with a better QB situation (San Diego?). The Rams bring in a bright offensive mind in Adam Gase. Gase brings in Mike McCoy who was fired by the Chargers. Gase worked under McCoy when McCoy was OC in Denver. Mike Nolan worked with McCoy and Gase in Denver under Josh McDaniels. Nolan currently works under McCoy in San Diego. He's a highly respected defensive mind that has had success running both the 3-4 and 4-3. Another interesting point? Adam Gase worked closely with Mike Martz in Martz's later years.
Cut
Jared Cook TE
Rodger Saffold OG
Kenny Britt WR
Chris Long DE
Nick Foles QB
Re-sign
Janoris Jenkins - 5 years $55 million (after being franchised)
Rodney McLeod - 3 years $10.5 million
Greg Zuerlein - 3 years $6 million
Will Hayes - 2 years $6 million
Tim Barnes - 2 years $3 million
Daren Bates - RFA Tender
Benny Cunningham - RFA Tender
Cody Davis - RFA Tender
Cory Harkey - 2 years $3 million
I can't take any more of Nick Foles at QB. We don't save much when we cut him but he's just not worth the roster spot. Barron walks in FA because he doesn't have a spot here after the departure of Williams and it's time for Mo Alexander to get a chance to show what he's worth (despite him still struggling a bit). Cutting Chris Long hurts but it's time. He can't stay healthy and his skills are declining. I also let Trumaine Johnson walk in FA because E.J. Gaines will be returning and LaMarcus Joyner has shown a lot of improvement this year.
Free Agency
Colin Kaepernick QB - 2 years $16 million
Cordy Glenn OT/OG - 5 years $40 million
Vinny Curry DE - 3 years $15 million
Jaron Brown WR - 3 years $6 million
Akiem Hicks DT - 2 years $4 million
I agree with Memphis Ram on this one. I think Kaepernick was being utilized poorly by San Francisco. He has his flaws and limitations. I've been adamant about that since he became a starter even when analysts were claiming he was the next big thing. That all said, Mike McCoy and Adam Gase ran an offense centered around Tim Tebow's legs and the Broncos running game back in 2011 with decent success considering Tebow's limitations. Kaepernick has a lot more ability as a passer than Tebow to keep defenses honest and more talent as a runner. He's not the future but he can put us in contention as a bridge QB and make our running game extremely difficult to defend. We've seen how difficult it is to stop Gurley when you have to respect Austin. Now, you have to respect a 6'5" 230 pound QB that can take it the distance and Austin. Kaepernick can do enough as a passer on top of his running ability that defenses can't put everyone in the box. This gives our offense a chance to be serviceable in 2016 which will be enough with our defense.
This is an interesting signing. Paying Cordy Glenn $8 million a year at LT is overvaluing him. Eugene Monroe, Jared Veldheer, and Will Beatty all received less than that and are better LTs. However, Glenn isn't being paid $8 million a year to be our LT. Like Leonard Davis, he's only an average LT. However, I think he'll be an elite OG. So I'm paying him top money to play OG and the versatility to play LT helps if Greg Robinson can't get it figured out. If Robinson can't develop enough his third year, we move Glenn to LT and Robinson to LG in his 4th year. Not ideal but hopefully Greg can develop. Because I think Glenn will make one hell of a LG.
Vinny Curry steps in to replace Long. He will rotate with Hayes and Westbrooks at LDE and give Quinn a breather at RDE. Has been a fairly productive pass rusher in the Eagles 3-4 scheme the past two years with 9 sacks in 2014. I think he's a better fit in the 4-3 so there's potential for him to step up and take the starting LDE job here.
Jaron Brown might be a curious signing to some and I can understand the skepticism. For me, I like to look for guys in FA that I think are being underutilized so we can get good value. Brown is on the deepest WR corp in football and it's clear that Arians wants speed (John Brown and J.J. Nelson). Brown is more of a possession WR. He plays some and he looks good to me when he does play. But he doesn't get a ton of PT. As I said though, when he has played, I've been impressed. I think he can fill a role as a #4 WR here with Stedman likely being done. Brown is a RFA but Arizona has some key FAs and guys they need to extend. I think they'll put original round tender on him (he was a UDFA) and won't match the Rams offer.
Akiem Hicks replaces Nick Fairley. He's an extremely talented athlete that fits the Waufle mold (hoping we can retain him) in terms of size (6'5" 325) who has underachieved a bit thus far in his career but also shown flashes of brilliance. We have arguably the best DL Coach in the NFL. I think he might be able to bring out the best in Hicks who is still a young player.
Trade
Rams trade Round 4 Pick #8
Steelers trade Markus Wheaton
Rams trade HB Tre Mason
Cowboys trade Round 4 Pick #5
Markus Wheaton is a talented player but the emergence of Martavis Bryant and with Antonio Brown locked in as a #1 WR, Wheaton doesn't typically see a ton of targets. The Steelers also drafted Sammie Coates. With Wheaton in the final year of his rookie deal, they take a trade for him and let Coates step up into his role. I loved Wheaton as a prospect and I've seen a lot of progression from him in the NFL. I think if he were given a larger role in Pittsburgh, he'd produce well. I think we're buying low on a talented WR. Some might not like giving up a 4th and I can't blame them. However, I think Wheaton can be a good #2 WR for this team and will prove to be worth the deal. Look at how Emmanuel Sanders stepped up in Denver. I think Wheaton has a very similar skill-set to Sanders.
The Cowboys need a HB and Mason is a talented kid that is a good fit behind their incredibly talented OL. Mason deserves a shot at starting somewhere and is good value for a 4th round pick as he's still on his rookie deal. With Gurley here and Benny operating as the third down HB, Mason just doesn't have enough of a role on the Rams right now. Good deal for both sides.
NFL Draft
Round 1 Pick #8 - Connor Cook QB Michigan State
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsGHAEUwvRc
Analysis: I know that people are split on Cook but I think he's the QB we have the best shot at and I think with the two year window to develop him that Kaepernick gives us, it's a smart risk to take. Connor Cook is coming out of a pro style system and is a three year starter. I gave a very detailed breakdown of him in the 2016 QB thread in Rams Discussion. Why Cook? He has some warts (if he didn't, he'd go top 5) but he has done a number of things at the college level that translate incredibly well to the pro game. Cook displays the ability to throw with anticipation, throw his WRs open, fit the ball into tight windows, hang in the pocket and make throws while under pressure, and maneuver a chaotic pocket. He also absolutely destroys the blitz. He's special in that regard. He reads the blitz as well as anyone I've evaluated at the college level and finds his match-up. When he needs to get the ball out hot, he does so. When he sees that he has a match-up advantage, he goes after it. Cook has inconsistencies in his game (especially in his lower body mechanics), he's streaky, and makes some boneheaded decisions but he's a guy that also is capable of doing things you only see out of veteran QBs (throwing before the WR has made his break into a tight window created by him looking off the safety). There's some Cutler and Eli to his game but you get both the bad and the good. He'll make mistakes as a rookie but he has the potential to be an Eli caliber player in the NFL and I think the odds are good that he becomes at least Cutler good if he lands in the right environment. It also doesn't hurt that Adam Gase has worked wonders with Jay Cutler this year.
NFL Comparison: Jay Cutler (with Eli Manning as a ceiling)
Round 2 Pick #8 - Corey Coleman WR Baylor
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p71WcAjf94A
Analysis: Just mixing it up here a bit. This is in case Tyler Boyd goes in the 1st round. Corey Coleman has been one of the best and most productive WRs in the NCAA this year. He's racked up 1363 receiving yards and 20 receiving TDs. Coleman is undersized at 5'10" 190 but he boasts absolutely freakish athleticism. Reportedly, he'll run in the 4.3s in the 40 and has a 43 inch vertical jump to match. On the field, Coleman's explosive speed shines through and makes him one of the best deep threats in college football. On top of that, Coleman has great agility and elusiveness with the ball in his hands which makes him very difficult to tackle and runs with surprising physicality. He's also a physical player when running routes and is willing to mix it up with defenders. His agility and speed make it extremely difficult to press him. Coleman's hands are solid but not elite. He'll drop some passes that he should catch but is also capable of making tough catches in traffic. The Baylor offense is not pro style at all and runs a limited route tree so he'll definitely need development on his route running and patience. Also, Art Briles doesn't ask his WRs to block in the running game (to conserve energy) so that will be one area where Coleman will also need development and will need to know that in the NFL, he'll have to give 110% as a blocker as well as a receiver. That all said, I don't doubt he can block as he's surprisingly strong for his size and has that Steve Smith sort of swagger to him.
NFL Comparison: Santana Moss
Round 2 Pick #15 - Hunter Henry TE Arkansas
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8roJxXin-w
Analysis: I'm a big fan of Evan Engram but I think Hunter Henry makes more sense here for Gase's system. Henry has prototypical NFL TE size at 6'5" 250 and has been highly productive for Arkansas this year and throughout his career. He possesses great hands and is known for making tough catches in traffic. He's a very reliable option in the passing game with the acceleration and agility to get open on short to intermediate routes. Doesn't have game-breaking speed but has enough speed to threaten the seam. Basically, he's a good athlete with great hands and size. As a blocker, he's pretty average. Doesn't overpower guys when blocking inline. His fundamentals and technique are pretty sound. They can better but they're not bad. But he's more of a wall them off blocker than a bury them in the dirt blocker. That all said, he's an effective enough blocker due to his size and technique that he won't be a liability if asked to block inline. Not a good pass blocker...but we're not drafting the guy to pass block.
NFL Comparison: Tyler Eifert
Round 3 Pick #8 - Roger Lewis WR Bowling Green
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpPqP9vFqWA
Analysis: As you guys can see, I'm very serious about fixing this WR problem. Some will say it's overkill but we had a similar problem at DB and then we went out and drafted Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson in back to back rounds. Lewis currently leads the NCAA in receiving yards as a true sophomore. He's draft eligible because he sat out a year between high school and college to get his legal affairs in order.(was charged with rape by an ex-girlfriend but was acquitted of one charge and had a hung jury for the other charge so ended up pleading to lying to the police) Would have gone to Ohio State out of HS if not for the legal troubles. The character concerns push him down the board to the 3rd round but this kid has serious talent. He's also one of the best deep threats in college football boasting a great speed at 6'0" 200. On top of that, he's shown the ability to make some amazing catches this year. He also runs solid routes for a guy his age. He's young, needs development, and is coming from a spread offense but he has first round talent on the field. This kid is a potential major steal.
NFL Comparison: Santonio Holmes
Round 4 Pick #5 - Kentrell Brothers ILB Missouri
Projected Starters
QB: Colin Kaepernick
HB: Todd Gurley
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Tavon Austin
ZWR: Markus Wheaton
SLWR: Jaron Brown
TE: Lance Kendricks
LT: Greg Robinson
LG: Cordy Glenn
C: Tim Barnes
RG: Jamon Brown
RT: Rob Havenstein
LDE: Will Hayes
LDT: Michael Brockers
RDT: Aaron Donald
RDE: Robert Quinn
OLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
OLB: Akeem Ayers
LCB: E.J. Gaines
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
SLCB: LaMarcus Joyner
FS: Rodney McLeod
SS: T.J. McDonald
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
I know what some will say...why all the small WRs? We need big WRs. I disagree. We need talented WRs. So I went after guys that I thought were extremely talented and great value. Yep, Brown is the biggest at 6'2" but if I've learned anything watching successful teams, you don't need size at WR. You just need guys that can win their match-ups and a QB that can get them the ball. Plus, Henry gives us a 6'5" red-zone presence with great hands.
Plus, I thought that putting all this speed and explosiveness on the outside made a lot of sense with the offense we'll be running. With Kaepernick and Gurley in the run game, teams are going to want to stack the box but when we have a ton of speed and explosiveness at WR, they're going to have to pick their poison. You stack the box, we'll use our play-action passing to go deep with all that speed at WR. Kind of like what Arizona does. Kaepernick certainly has the arm to get it deep. And with Cook's aggressiveness and down-field throwing ability, I think they'll fit him well when he's ready to be our QB.
I also realize that I didn't pencil in any of the rookies to start. I believe in guys earning their job. If the rookie WRs or Henry or Brothers are ready to start, play them. If not, play a guy that's ready to be on the field.
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