they made additions this offseason for sure.

but yeah. goff and gurley. the offense hinges on them doing well. otherwise, forget about it.

cooper kupp against pac-12 teams for his career.

4 games
40 catches
716 yards
11 tds

that’s 4 games…

against oregon last year, he had 15 receptions for 246 yards and 3 tds.

got this quote from jamesjm over at the herd. i think it describes best how i feel about this guy. my closest comp for him i think is anquan boldin. bigger receiver. slow. but smart and competitive. excellent hands.

for the life of me I can’t shake the notion that this guy has what it takes.

I read the criticism’s of him… and admittedly some make sense to me, but I still can’t shake this notion that there’s something there, a bit hidden but often times glaringly apparent.

I mention Cooper because he’s a good example of what I ‘feel’… ‘sense’… ‘intuit’… ‘believe’… about several of the players on this current roster, (all positions), that, to me, have underachieved, (to varying degrees), for no apparent reason… not to me anyway.

THUS – the McVay era is fascinating for me. I don’t think the entire roster ‘has what it takes’ by any means… but there are enough, IMHO, to believe it far from silly to think the Ram’s ‘could’ make huge strides this year.

As I said earlier, I dunno what I’m hoping for this year…. but I do think, unlike in the past several years, there are currently more… .and I HATE to use this word but… ‘potentially’ good players than the Ram’s have had in some time.

We all know this.. there is 8-8 and then there is 8-8… can mean failure, can mean so-so, can mean improvement, can possibly mean HUGE improvement – (competitive in every game).

I try to come up with a number… meaning ‘how many’ need to stop underachieving and start over-achieving to make a noticeable difference in being competitive and unfortunately I can’t help thinking the number is rather high, and therefore not all that likely. Meaning a LOT of work, good drafting, remains.

At the same time… should all, or lets stay grounded and say ‘most’, (if that can be called grounded), DO step it up…. it’s not far-fetched for me to envision a winning season. – JamesJM

again. his agility drills were top end. not even taking into account his size 6’2″ 204 pounds. and i feel he could still add about 10 pounds on his frame without losing speed.

short shuttle – 4.08 seconds
3-cone – 6.75 seconds

combine that with intelligence, toughness, competitiveness. the intangibles are off the charts.

zn wrote:

He forced a ridiculous 24 missed tackles in 2016 (the most in all of the FBS).

On average, Everett forced a missed tackle over once in every two receptions (56 in 108 catches) over the past three years.

While undersized at 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds, Everett gave up just 1 sack and 0 QB hits in 125 total pass-blocking reps between 2014 and 2016

i like reading those things. also in reading interviews with him online. when they ask him what he needs to improve on the most.

blocking.

i like reading that too.

on the huddle report, he’s ranked fourth AHEAD of njoku and engram.

boylhart compares him to dallas clark in his writeup. not bad.

Gerald Everett TE South Alabama

STRENGTHS
Gerald reminds me a lot former TE/H-back Dallas Clark. He has Velcro hands to catch the ball and a big catch radius. He has good run after the catch skills using quick steps to gain separation and stay on balance making it hard to tackle him and knock him off his routes. Gerald has excellent hand/eye coordination and strong hands to easily catch contested passes on third downs and in the red zone. He has the speed and toughness to split the safeties and catch the ball down the slot making him a touchdown nightmare once your team gets over the 50 yard line. He also has the talent to play in the slot on third downs and in the red zone could be used on the outside because of his talent to catch contested passes on slants and crossing routes. He is tough minded and the physical aspect of the game seems to bring out his best.

CONCERNS
Gerald is not a three point stance, on the line of scrimmage blocking tight end. He is more of an H-back and although he does a good job blocking in space he struggles with techniques, leverage and lateral agility. That doesn’t mean that he can’t block or be a good blocker. It just means as an open space blocker he will have to improve to stay on the field and become more than just a specialty player or second Tight End.

BOTTOM LINE
If Gerald improves his blocking he can become your starting pass catching Tight End/ H-Back depending on the offensive system. If he is selected by the right team with a good quarterback then the sky’s the limit for his ability to impact and become a core player for the team that selects him. When Dallas Clark came out in the draft the Colts had Payton Manning and Dallas was a perfect fit for that offense and had a big impact in the Colts going to the 2006 Super Bowl. Gerald in the right offense with the right quarterback could have the same impact but he has to improve his blocking in space to stay on the field or he’s just a specialty player.

Drew Boylhart MAR.2017

well i don’t doubt that snead has a lot of say. i just find it interesting that they draft a fullback. that screams kromer to me. and while he may not have specifically singled out rogers as a pick, he might have told snead and mcvay that he needed a fullback for his running game. with snead’s job to try and find one that could satisfy both kromer and mcvay’s specifications.

i love the kupp and johnson picks. i have an extreme crush on rogers. i give those picks A’s.

reynolds and ebukam i give a solid B.

the other picks i am on the fence. i don’t know why they picked smart. unless he can play nose tackle.

price. i don’t know. i like the character. but he’s been injured for the last 2 years?

everett. hey. if he can surpass jordan reed like he says he plans to do? and if he can stay healthy which reed never has been able to do? then i’ll eat my words.

so i’ll give them a b.

nittany ram wrote:

a nonstop ball of butcher knives

Good enough for me.

I’m sold.

My only question is: How can you NOT draft a player described as a “nonstop ball of butcher knives?”

Did all the teams that passed on him not see that quote?

ummm… he’s fast becoming my favorite player on this team.

zn wrote:

Looking at these highlights, Reynolds does remind me a bit of Danario Alexander, like IR said in the chat room. It’s like he;s a cross between some Danario DNA plus some Brandon Lloyd DNA.

i didn’t say it, but i agree with it.

let’s just hope he doesn’t have the knees of danario.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by InvaderRam.

looking at that video he looks like he’s got some wiggle to him. he’s also very physical.

well. like it or not. this is the centerpiece for the rams passing offense. if mcvay is right though, this could be a helluva offense. cuz i think woods and kupp are going to be more than solid at receiver. and i’m gambling that gurley can become a 1400-1500 yard rusher in this league.

that would be tough to stop.

….

unless the oline falls apart….

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by InvaderRam.

yeah. kupp isn’t an explosive athlete. he won’t out jump defenders for the ball. he won’t blow by cornerbacks.

but his agility drills are exceptional. 4.08 ss and 6.75 3-cone.

you combine that with his work ethic. you combine that with his intelligence. mcvay said he felt like he was talking to a wr coach when talking to kupp. he’s a technician. he’s going to rely on precise route running. so maybe you worry that his ceiling is not as high as others. but shoot. it’s still a pretty high ceiling.

i think another isaac bruce would be just fine.

i remember when torry holt came out. i didn’t think he’d be as good as david boston at the time because david boston had the measurables. i think, in the end, torry’s work ethic and intelligence won out. i think i could see similar things happening with cooper. from what i’ve read i don’t think anyone outworks this kid.

he’s a poor man’s engram/reed. but he sounds like he might be a better blocker than either.

i still can’t get past the small hands. 8 1/2″. that’s not insignificant to me.

Agamemnon wrote:

Everybody likes stars, but at this point, I just want players. You know, WRs that catch the ball. etc. I am not interested in potential, unless they like football.

yeah. i like home runs. but i’ve got a high strikeout rate…

Agamemnon wrote:

It is wide open now. Who does Snead like?

i’m depressed about engram. he was an sec pick too. perfect for snead…