The Los Angeles Rams’ depth at wide receiver isn’t matched by many teams, if any at all. Even after trading Brandin Cooks, the Rams have four quality receivers at the top of the depth chart, led by Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods – who each had more than 1,000 yards last season.
Van Jefferson seemed like a luxury pick for the Rams in the second round, knowing they already had Josh Reynolds as WR3, but he’s going to make an impact as a rookie and has caught Sean McVay’s eye early on in camp.
McVay was asked about Jefferson on a conference call this week and he couldn’t help but praise the rookie’s separation skills, body control and hands – along with his work ethic and attention to detail in meetings.
“He’s a really impressive guy. I’ve really been impressed with his maturity just in the week that we’ve been around one another in-person,” McVay said. “He’s wired the right way, really like his attention to detail in the meetings. And then when you see the guys ready to go out in their strength and conditioning phase of this part of the training camp acclimation period, you can see all the things that we loved so much about him at Florida even going back to some of the stuff that he did at Ole Miss. He is a guy that’s wired to separate, he’s got great body control. … He just has a natural feel for how to work edges on people, double people up, got good aggressive hands. So, he’s got all those traits and characteristics that you’re looking for.”
Jefferson’s best attribute is his route running. He may not be the fastest receiver – even though he was at the Senior Bowl – but he knows how to separate from defenders, which extremely important for a receiver to be able to do.
Getting open for Jared Goff will earn Jefferson playing time, especially because he can play inside or out and make plays at any depth of the field. McVay wouldn’t say specifically what Jefferson’s role will be on offense, pointing to the depth that the Rams already have.
“As far as what his role will be, I think that’s really up to the way he continues to compete throughout training camp. We’ve got some guys that will be a great example of epitomizing how you handle yourself in that receiver room,” he said.
