at 136 Rams take Brycen Hopkins

So, they drafted another Jared Cook?

Can you teach a guy to not drop easy balls?

Ah well. I have an open mind on all these guys, but we are all gonna be watching this guy’s hands.

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On the Downtown Rams draft coverage they mentioned that when the Rams met with Hopkins during Senior Bowl week, McVay told Hopkins he would be excited to pair him with Higbee.

This pick would imply that Everett is likely gone. No point in having two athletic TEs who can’t block, right?

Zooey wrote:

I am so *(&#@)^# tire of Tight Ends. We draft one or two every year, and they’re all destined for greatness, and they never achieve it, and I don’t know what the hell TEs are even for except a decoy. If they can’t block, though, eff ’em. You don’t throw to them often enough to make them worth it, seems to me.

And yet…I’m clearly wrong. Because if I wasn’t wrong, nobody would draft TEs.

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I havent seen such *(&#@)^#-ing language since the Great H-Back controversy of Whatever year that was.

I’m too old to remember what the Hback controversy was even about. Anybody remember?

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Brycen Hopkins aspires to be a complete TE like George Kittle

Brycen Hopkins aspires to be a complete TE like George Kittle

George Kittle has burst onto the scene in the last two years as arguably the best tight end in the NFL. He did so as a former fifth-round pick out of Iowa with almost no college production.

Brycen Hopkins was taken by the Rams a round earlier, but he aspires to be a similar tight end as Kittle has become for the 49ers – a tight end who’s equal parts receiver and blocker.

“You know, I always want to say George Kittle,” Hopkins said when asked which tight ends he wants to model his game after. “I think he’s got the best of both worlds, he’s the best tight end, but just the way that he always plays disciplined in the receiving game and in the blocking game with his technique and his fundamentals, but also as an athlete, I think that’s something that I admire the most about him as a player. As much as I can mirror myself after him, I would love to do that. Also, another player, Mark Andrews, Zach Ertz – other players like that.”

Hopkins comes into the NFL as a better receiver than blocker, but his hands are questionable at times. He dropped 22 passes in his career at Purdue, most of which were the result of him taking his eyes off the ball and trying to turn upfield.

That can happen sometimes when you’re as fast and athletic as he is in the open field, trying to gain big yardage after the catch. He wants to improve his concentration at the catch point to hopefully eliminate those drops.

“I think one of my strengths is my ability to create separation at the top of routes and use athleticism and go up and get the ball,” he said. “I want to become a more consistent catcher. I don’t have bad hands. I just think that I can concentrate more on that ball and look it in and then my drop rate would go way down. I would just be able to become that more consistent catcher that everyone wants to see out of me.”

Kittle’s hands are as good as they come for a pass-catcher, so Hopkins is on the right track with those aspirations. He only dropped two passes on 107 targets last season, a drop rate of only 1.9%, which was fifth-best among all receivers with at least 100 targets.

Hopkins has the makings of a dynamic tight end, he just needs to put it all together – and he’s picked a pretty good player to model his game after.

“Coach McVay told us to find players who could double up and create separation. I always thought Brycen could do that — it was very natural for him.”

Inside draft meetings evaluating @Itsbhop89 out of @BoilerFootball! pic.twitter.com/PMkfZ1u72F

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 19, 2020

visions of higbee and hopkins running through my mind.

i was about to post about higbee when i saw this thread come up again.

higbee based on the last 6 games of the 2019 season would have projected to go 128 receptions and 1445 yards over 16 games. pff ranked him the 74th best player in the nfl. that’s a little wild to me. i hope goff and mcvay keep finding him. he’s under contract for four more years at very little cost.

brycen hopkins does have upside. he’s certainly physically what you look for. i just hope he can cut down on the drops. i have watched his highlights, and he makes some spectacular catches. so he has the ability. and he’s gotta get with his dad and learn how to block! put some of his dad’s game tape on and get some tips.

i’m not overly positive about this pick. but i’m hoping he can overcome the drops and learn how to block. that’s a helluva tight end duo if he is able to do that.

He reminds me of Cooper Kupp. They have about the same 40 time. 😉
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Van Jefferson reminds me of Kupp, too.