Making The Case For Drafting A Wide Receiver Round 1
Hi guys as the draft approaches, I wanted to focus on a position of need on this team. I feel that the Wide Receiver position is a position getting over looked by most Rams fans. Most Rams fans are eyeing Offensive Lineman in the first round. Quite frankly these offensive lineman in this draft are over rated at pick number 10. I do not see one offensive lineman at pick ten that deserves to be picked, but maybe Scherff, but I still see that as over reaching. I think we should take a next level wide receiver and pick up offensive lineman later. This draft has a lot of great depth for offensive lineman. I just don't see any pro bowl level offensive lineman players in this draft. I feel that we can get an equal offensive lineman in round 2-4 as in the first round. Players like Laken Tomlinson, AJ Cann, Rob Havenstein, Cedric Obguehi, Jarvis Harrison, and many more prospects could be as good or even better than players like La'el Collins, Andrus Peat, and Ereck Flowers. We should address our wide receiver position instead adding a true number one receiver to our team. This team does not have a number one receiver like some say. We need someone to throw the ball to and score for us to win games. Our wide receivers do not score touchdowns. Some say it is the quarterback that is the problem. I do not buy that at all. Old Vincent Jackson put up crazy numbers last year with worse quaterbacks throwing to him than us. Alshon Jeffrey put up 1,133 yards and 10 TDs with that mess of a QB situation in Chicago. The fact is we have a lot of number twos but no number one receiver. Look at these touchdown stats from last year from our top 5 wide receivers.
2014 Rams Wide Receivers Touchdowns
Kenny Britt- 3 TD
Brian Quick- 3 TD
Stedman Bailey- 1 TD
Chris Givens- 1 TD
Tavon Austin- 0 TD
Total TD from Wide Receivers- 8 TD
Conclusion
As you can see we are missing a number one reciever. It is not the quaterback fault. The problem is our receivers are not special. They should be able to break a slant for a big gain and touchdown. The receivers are not getting much YAC and we can change that buy drafting a game changing number one receiver in round one. 8 TD is patheic many teams have wide receivers that have double that many touchdowns in a season. Dez Bryant had 16 TD last year. Allen Hurns a rookie had 6 TD with a rookie quaterback. TD score points that wins games. Are recievers don't have a knack for the end zone, and they are good compliments. Some say KC had zero touchdowns. Well they have an elite running game spear headed by the best running back in the league. My answer to this is to draft Devante Parker and fix this receiving problem we have had since Torry Holt left. Parker is a very big receiver. He is thin, but he is fast and has one of the biggest wingspan of any receiver in this class. He has great body control in the air tracking the football. Lastly, he is great at getting YAC and does not go down. Devante Parker is the answer to our problems Rams fans.
Receiving TDs are also a stat highly dependent on QB play, situational play-calling, and overall offensive proficiency. For example:
Torry Holt (2000 to 2002) - 4300 receiving yards and 17 receiving TDs
Torry Holt (2003 to 2005) - 4399 receiving yards and 31 receiving TDs
Holt's receiving yardage total is nearly identical but he has almost double the TDs. Why might that be? I'd say there are a few reasons. The biggest is probably that Marshall Faulk declined pretty sharply after 2002. This is a guy that put up 57 TDs from 2000 to 2002. Another is that the Rams decided to make Holt a bigger part of their red-zone offense.
Keep in mind that Austin Pettis had 8 TDs on only 68 receptions in 2012 and 2013. It wasn't because he was a great WR. It was because the Rams used situationally in the red-zone and designed plays for him to score on as an after thought.
Lastly, QB play has a massive impact on receiving stats. I don't think that even needs to be argued.
Our WRs are good enough. Nobody here would turn down a top WR talent but we have the talent to be just fine at the position next year. The OL is in far more dire straits but I don't believe in forcing need picks. If a WR is the top value on the board, draft him.
That all said, I do have to disagree with your premise that we should just give up if we don't get a top three WR. That's the type of thinking RFIP employed last year with Sammy Watkins. It was Watkins or bust. Nobody else at WR was even close to him. As we saw, that was a farce. This year, we have a deep and talented class again...don't convince yourself that those three are the only ones worth drafting for us.
I have a feeling we are going to trade the tenth pick to a team that wants to take Parker. I am going to be mad. I feel like the Rams are pumping up Parker for a trade. I want Parker though really bad. His body control is awesome and I can see him being like a taller Odell Beckham Jr.
Other than being the #3 ranked WR in a great class, they don't have much in common.
