Have the Rams already found their number one receiver?
It was clear from 2010 that the most debilitating aspect of the Rams’ offense was the lack of a legitimate number one receiver– or any of real note at all, to be honest. When April’s draft build-up began, all the talk was about taking wideout Julio Jones with the number 14 pick.
Either of the top two rated receivers in the draft, University of Georgia’s A.J. Green or Jones of Alabama, were what the Rams needed to ignite their offense and help Sam Bradford build on his stellar rookie season. Ultimately, however, neither was a possibility, as both men went fourth and sixth respectively – too much of a stretch for Spagnuolo and Devaney.
But what if the Rams already have the number one receiver they so desperately crave? What if, in the undrafted Danario Alexander, who they signed at the beginning of the 2010 season, they have a guy who could turn out to be just as good as Jones and Green? There is no guarantee of success in the NFL, and as neither wide receiver drafted in 2011 has played a down yet, let’s look at their collegiate records in comparison to the Rams’ Alexander.
In his senior year, Missouri wideout Alexander finished with 113 receptions, 14 touchdowns and an NCAA best 1,781 yards. That’s an average of 15.8 yards per reception and 137 yards per game. Impressive numbers from the 22-year-old Texas native. His downfall is his injury record, and, in particular, his persistent knee problems. But if he can overcome them and stay healthy, how does he compare to Jones and Green?
Alabama wideout Julio Jones, drafted sixth by the Atlanta Falcons, skipped his senior season in favour of declaring for the 2011 NFL draft. But in his three seasons with the Crimson Tide he amassed 179 receptions, 2653 yards and 15 touchdowns. At 22, he is also the same age as the Rams’ wideout.
In comparison, Alexander, who played for four years at Missouri, put up 2778 yards and 22 touchdowns with 191 receptions. If you strike off his freshman year, it still puts him level-pegging with Jones in catches and yards (176 and 2527) but with six more touchdowns.
So how does the number one receiver in the draft stack up? In a disrupted junior year, which saw him miss the first four games for violating NCAA rules, 22-year-old Green finished with a team high 57 catches for 848 yards and nine touchdowns. Add to this the totals from his previous two seasons as a freshman and sophomore and it gives the new Bengals aerial threat an overall 166 catches for 2619 yards and 23 touchdowns – similar numbers to Jones and Alexander.
Obviously statistics aren’t everything, but they still make for an interesting debate about which of the three wide receivers will have the most success over the next 10 years.
And if the undrafted Alexander gets close to Green and Jones, especially considering what the Falcons gave up for the latter, he’ll have been a real steal for the Rams.
Content courtesy of Sam Tonkin
