The Rams Need to Get A "Go To" WR More Than Any Other Position

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bluecollarram

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ake no mistake about it - the 2014 NFL Draft will prove absolutely crucial to the Rams' hopes to find success in the years ahead. Two first round picks to play with, a glut of potential compensatory picks at the back end and a relatively light list of needs that haven't been addressed with young talent.
Wide receiver isn't a position the Rams have ignored in recent years. Unlike the offensive line, which certainly has some fans looking to upgrade early, the Rams have made concerted efforts to add to the WR corps early in the draft.
In the last four years, the Rams have drafted seven wideouts before the 5th round, with only Greg Salas and Mardy Gilyard no longer on the team. The current grouping of Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, Brian Quick and Austin Pettis are all in-house draft selections. With the current CW bouncing around the league that the only path to success is to draft your roster up and develop within, there's case to be made that the Rams would be wise to give this group another year to improve and gel collectively.
That case is wrong.
The Rams haven't employed a single wide receiver who gained more than 700 yards in a season since Torry Holt. Last year, 54 players (wideouts and tight ends) topped 700 yards.
The Super Bowl Champions Seattle Seahawks (Disgusting. My fingers just threw up typing that for the first time) had two receivers, Golden Taint and Doug Baldwin, break that mark. Their Super Bowl opponent, the Broncos, had four.
San Francisco and Arizona, the other two NFC opponents the Rams have to deal with, each had a pair top 700.
Roddy White gained 711 yards playing on one leg made out of leg and the other made out of wet paper in an offense that relied on a sieve where an offensive line should be. In 13 games.
In fact the Rams were (emphasis coming entirely mine...) THE ONLY TEAM IN THE NFC WITHOUT A RECEIVER TO GAIN MORE THAN 700 YARDS.
That's pitiful.
We've seen the need. A 3rd and 6 without a possession receiver who's reliable to pick up a first down consistently. A red zone opportunity that fails because the Rams lack a credible threat to run a fade. The hesitancy on the part of Sam Bradford to throw up a ball for a receiver in one-on-one coverage because he's not sure that the target won't lose out on a battle to play the ball at the highest point.
This, more than anything else facing the Rams right now, has to be fixed. It has to. There is no way the Rams will approach the playoffs in 2014 unless this gets right.
Now there is a hopeful plea out there that Brian Quick suddenly becomes that guy this year. And sure, it's possible. But the Rams can't rely on that. You're talking about an NFL franchise. Success and failure in the NFL are millions of dollars apart. Nobody in the front office should be putting millions of dollars of potential revenue and a renewed faith in the franchise on Brian Quick's shoulders.
They have to draft a guy, and he has to hit.
That's the bottom line. Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Marqise Lee, Kelvin Benjamin, Insert Name Here, Jr. -- it doesn't matter. It just has to work.
Personally feeling this is the only true absolute need for the Rams, I'd think they'd want this wrapped up before the 13th pick. If they don't have ultimate confidence that there's a perfect fit to grab at #2 at value and end up trading down, they've got to take their guy where ever they drop to. If they're not sure he'll be there when they're on the clock, then they just can't trade down and hope. Nobody should be putting millions of dollars of potential revenue and a renewed faith in the franchise on hope's shoulders either.
The upcoming season is pivotal. It's Sam Bradford's fifth upon a return from a devastating injury. It's the third for both Head Coach Jeff Fisher and Les Snead. And it's the last season on the stadium lease...like I said, it's pivotal.
And nothing would help the Rams pivot toward the successful side of life more than a wide receiver that inspires confidence in his quarterback, the team and the fans as a whole.
 

jjab360

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We can succeed with the WRs we have right now if our O-line can give Bradford enough time.
 

den-the-coach

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We can succeed with the WRs we have right now if our O-line can give Bradford enough time.
This^...In the NFC West if you can't measure up in the trenches everything else pales in comparison.
 

Ky Ram

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Id love to have a top notch WR, but the fact remains that O-line is still our top priority. It's not flashy or as impact perceived as WR, but the best WR in the world won't get the rock without an o line to protect the qb. I'm not sayin we have to draft a lineman at 2, but it damn sure needs to be a focus.
We have Austin, Cook and Givens with a splash of Bailey, Pettis and Quick. That should be enough to move the chains consistently if SB has time in the pocket.
We're a run first team, we need a damn good o-line to stay committed to that philosophy.
 

Rambitious1

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ake no mistake about it - the 2014 NFL Draft will prove absolutely crucial to the Rams' hopes to find success in the years ahead. Two first round picks to play with, a glut of potential compensatory picks at the back end and a relatively light list of needs that haven't been addressed with young talent.
Wide receiver isn't a position the Rams have ignored in recent years. Unlike the offensive line, which certainly has some fans looking to upgrade early, the Rams have made concerted efforts to add to the WR corps early in the draft.
In the last four years, the Rams have drafted seven wideouts before the 5th round, with only Greg Salas and Mardy Gilyard no longer on the team. The current grouping of Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, Brian Quick and Austin Pettis are all in-house draft selections. With the current CW bouncing around the league that the only path to success is to draft your roster up and develop within, there's case to be made that the Rams would be wise to give this group another year to improve and gel collectively.
That case is wrong.
The Rams haven't employed a single wide receiver who gained more than 700 yards in a season since Torry Holt. Last year, 54 players (wideouts and tight ends) topped 700 yards.
The Super Bowl Champions Seattle Seahawks (Disgusting. My fingers just threw up typing that for the first time) had two receivers, Golden Taint and Doug Baldwin, break that mark. Their Super Bowl opponent, the Broncos, had four.
San Francisco and Arizona, the other two NFC opponents the Rams have to deal with, each had a pair top 700.
Roddy White gained 711 yards playing on one leg made out of leg and the other made out of wet paper in an offense that relied on a sieve where an offensive line should be. In 13 games.
In fact the Rams were (emphasis coming entirely mine...) THE ONLY TEAM IN THE NFC WITHOUT A RECEIVER TO GAIN MORE THAN 700 YARDS.
That's pitiful.
We've seen the need. A 3rd and 6 without a possession receiver who's reliable to pick up a first down consistently. A red zone opportunity that fails because the Rams lack a credible threat to run a fade. The hesitancy on the part of Sam Bradford to throw up a ball for a receiver in one-on-one coverage because he's not sure that the target won't lose out on a battle to play the ball at the highest point.
This, more than anything else facing the Rams right now, has to be fixed. It has to. There is no way the Rams will approach the playoffs in 2014 unless this gets right.
Now there is a hopeful plea out there that Brian Quick suddenly becomes that guy this year. And sure, it's possible. But the Rams can't rely on that. You're talking about an NFL franchise. Success and failure in the NFL are millions of dollars apart. Nobody in the front office should be putting millions of dollars of potential revenue and a renewed faith in the franchise on Brian Quick's shoulders.
They have to draft a guy, and he has to hit.
That's the bottom line. Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Marqise Lee, Kelvin Benjamin, Insert Name Here, Jr. -- it doesn't matter. It just has to work.
Personally feeling this is the only true absolute need for the Rams, I'd think they'd want this wrapped up before the 13th pick. If they don't have ultimate confidence that there's a perfect fit to grab at #2 at value and end up trading down, they've got to take their guy where ever they drop to. If they're not sure he'll be there when they're on the clock, then they just can't trade down and hope. Nobody should be putting millions of dollars of potential revenue and a renewed faith in the franchise on hope's shoulders either.
The upcoming season is pivotal. It's Sam Bradford's fifth upon a return from a devastating injury. It's the third for both Head Coach Jeff Fisher and Les Snead. And it's the last season on the stadium lease...like I said, it's pivotal.
And nothing would help the Rams pivot toward the successful side of life more than a wide receiver that inspires confidence in his quarterback, the team and the fans as a whole.

A top WR would be great, however I have to agree with the group and say OL is far and away the top priority at this point.
 

Selassie I

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My 1st pick would be Watkins.

I'm not one to expect any rookie to actually be at "Go-To" level in their first year. I think adding Sammy's threat would open up things for the other WRs on our offense right away though. I would expect some big scoring plays from him during year one,,, along with some chain-moving plays on 3rd down.
 

bluecollarram

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My 1st pick would be Watkins.

I'm not one to expect any rookie to actually be at "Go-To" level in their first year. I think adding Sammy's threat would open up things for the other WRs on our offense right away though. I would expect some big scoring plays from him during year one,,, along with some chain-moving plays on 3rd down.
I agree, many are suggesting go OL which makes sense but, I think Watkins finishes the WR corps. I expect the Rams to draft a few OL players I'm just guessing it will be later in the draft.
 

Boffo97

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We can succeed with the WRs we have right now if our O-line can give Bradford enough time.
But it's not either/or as far as a #1 receiver or superior line.

Since we already have a starting LT, there's no sense in picking OL early in the first round.

We can get an RT and a G or 2 later.
 

CGI_Ram

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There is more potential help in FA on the oline than at WR.

With a top 6 pick, I like impact players. Imagine if we passed on Torry Holt in 1999? Not saying Watkins is Holt, but it's about stock piling good players and that spans a length of time well beyond 2014.
 

laramsoriginal

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Screw it;

I believe watkins will still be there at #4 so trade with Cleveland to acquire the 4th pick and 36th pick.
also trade down from 13th to 21st for a second rounder

4th pick: wr sammy
21st: FS Pryor
36th pick: CB
44: OG
58th: OT Mewhort

Rams get the top wr, draft starting FS, add depth to cb, og, ot with 5 players drafted in the top 60...not bad
 
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bluecollarram

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Screw it;

I believe watkins will still be there at #4 so trade with Cleveland to acquire the 4th pick and 36th pick.
also trade down from 13th to 21st for a second rounder

4th pick: wr sammy
21st: FS Pryor
36th pick: CB
44: OG
58th: OT Mewhort

Rams get the top wr, draft starting FS, add depth to cb, og, ot with 5 players drafted in the top 60...not bad

It would be nice to get Pryor but, I don't think he is there at 21. I think he should be the first safety to go in the draft.
 

Faceplant

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I still don't understand why people think a "#1" WR is so important in the NFL, and PARTICULARLY for a Jeff Fisher coached team. When has he ever deployed a high octane, vertical offense? It seems to me that he values tough, possession WRs that can make catches in traffic and move the chains. He has made no secret that he wants to establish dominance at the LOS (on both sides) and win in the trenches, beginning with the ground game. Not saying I agree, just saying that it is how his teams typically roll. I love Watkins, but I think we have a very good, young WR nucleus already and they are going to be sufficient for this offense. Just my opinion. I would like to see us build a young, deep DOMINANT OL. I think that is how we win in this division.
 

PhxRam

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I still don't understand why people think a "#1" WR is so important in the NFL, and PARTICULARLY for a Jeff Fisher coached team. When has he ever deployed a high octane, vertical offense? It seems to me that he values tough, possession WRs that can make catches in traffic and move the chains. He has made no secret that he wants to establish dominance at the LOS (on both sides) and win in the trenches, beginning with the ground game. Not saying I agree, just saying that it is how his teams typically roll. I love Watkins, but I think we have a very good, young WR nucleus already and they are going to be sufficient for this offense. Just my opinion. I would like to see us build a young, deep DOMINANT OL. I think that is how we win in this division.

Not saying I disagree with you but it sure seemed like McNair threw for a lot of yards.
 

laramsoriginal

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If anything the rams groupOf wr's should be all on the same page with each other and with sam. That should help the passing game tremendously. Now when the rams fortify the OL with some quality players then stacy and Bradford will be able to post some very nice numbers. I truly believe Quick will have a breakout year, I believe it
 

jjab360

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But it's not either/or as far as a #1 receiver or superior line.

Since we already have a starting LT, there's no sense in picking OL early in the first round.

We can get an RT and a G or 2 later.
Here's the thing, I'm not worried about what positions we get where, I'm just worried about getting the best players possible. I'm not saying we need to pass up a superior WR just to get an O-lineman, I'm saying that we don't need to go out of our way to get a WR, because as long as Sam has enough time in the pocket, the receivers we have right now are talented enough to get the job done. Otoh, If he doesn't have enough time in the pocket, the discussion is moot either way because we're going to fail no matter what WRs we have out there. If there's a better prospect than Watkins wherever we end up drafting (at this point I have Clowney, Robinson, and Matthews higher on my big board), then we need to draft that player.
 

tonyl711

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Watkins after we trade out of #2 sounds good to me, if Quick does come around then you have a potentially dangerous WR corp with Watkins there, if Quick doest pan out you at least have a #1 type WR in the wings. Oline can be addressed in the second through 4th rounds IMO as we really only need depth at OT, we can get a starting OG in round 2 or 3.
 

bluecollarram

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I still don't understand why people think a "#1" WR is so important in the NFL, and PARTICULARLY for a Jeff Fisher coached team. When has he ever deployed a high octane, vertical offense? It seems to me that he values tough, possession WRs that can make catches in traffic and move the chains. He has made no secret that he wants to establish dominance at the LOS (on both sides) and win in the trenches, beginning with the ground game. Not saying I agree, just saying that it is how his teams typically roll. I love Watkins, but I think we have a very good, young WR nucleus already and they are going to be sufficient for this offense. Just my opinion. I would like to see us build a young, deep DOMINANT OL. I think that is how we win in this division.
What I see is not high octane offense just a better version of the Schotty O. I think the WR group is very good and that Watkins makes the group better by dictating coverage rather than reacting to it. Watkins outside the numbers is more dangerous than Givens, Quick, Austin, or Bailey giving them a better combination of matchups across the group.

I see more wiggle room to address the OL due to already having starting LT, RT, C already on the team. The guards TBD.