Van Jefferson is amid a breakout season with the Los Angeles Rams in his second year in the NFL. Despite playing in an offense that features Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and DeSean Jackson, Jefferson has emerged as the definitive No. 3 wide receiver on the Rams.
As Jefferson continues to impress in his sophomore campaign, Jordan Fuller has taken notice of Jefferson’s growth at the wide receiver position.
“Man, Van is special. He has great routes, great speed, great hands, but probably what people don’t see is his work ethic, too, how serious he takes the game,” Fuller said, via the team’s official site. “I know he basically in his dad, he’s had a great coach like his whole entire life. And I mean, it really shows. He’s very polished, like since the first day we stepped foot in the facility, he was one of the more polished receivers on the scene. That’s just a testament to him and his hard work and how serious he takes it. And the sky’s the limit for him. I mean, if he keeps at it, I’ll be excited to keep watching for sure.”
Fuller, who was voted as a captain in his second season with the Rams, believes that Jefferson is one of the most refined wideouts on the roster. That is high praise given the fact that Los Angeles boasts a wide receiver room with Kupp and Woods.
Through the first seven weeks of the season, Jefferson has 21 receptions, 304 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Jefferson has already eclipsed his receptions, receiving yards and touchdown numbers from his rookie season in 2020. He came down with his third touchdown of the year in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions, making an impressive grab over a defender, which was a play that displayed how much trust Matthew Stafford has in the young wide receiver.
Stafford spoke of Jefferson’s development, too, complimenting his strong hands like Fuller did.
“I think he’s done a great job. When he’s had his opportunities, he has made the most of them,” Stafford said Monday. “There’s even a few more out there that I feel like we can connect on and really make defenses pay. He’s a bigger guy, but he’s really sudden, got really good hands, strong hands, has a great feel for running routes. His dad taught him well growing up, you can tell. He’s just continuing to progress and that’s what you want. You just want to see a guy with drive and with the right attitude. He just comes in here every single day working his tail off, trying to get better and it’s producing on the field.”
Even though Jefferson isn’t a wide receiver that everyone is aware of yet, his teammates know just how talented he can be moving forward.