Watch: Rams scouts, coaches break down what drew them to Tutu Atwell

The Rams spent their first pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Tutu Atwell, and his explosiveness is the primary reason.

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Tutu Atwell got a call from the Los Angeles Rams during the second night of the 2021 NFL draft, learning that he was going to be the newest member of Les Snead and Sean McVay’s team. Some fans and analysts were surprised by the Rams’ selection, but Atwell probably wasn’t. Wide receivers coach Eric Yarber told Atwell, “Don’t be surprised if I don’t let you go past the second round,” and they didn’t.

But what exactly went into the pick, and what drew the Rams to the 5-foot-9, 155-pound receiver? For starters, his speed, explosiveness and ability to turn short passes into big gains. The Rams released Episode 2 of their webseries “Inside the Draft,” which features exclusive interviews with the team’s scouts both before and after the draft, as well as comments from Yarber and McVay.

“The explosiveness of speed, I think, is legit. This guy can erase angles,” scout Billy Johnson said. “These traits, they’ll translate to the league if you can get the ball in his hands.”

Director of scouting strategy James Gladstone also shared his thoughts on the receiver after the draft, saying this pick is about more than just 2021 when it seems like he’s buried on the depth chart. Atwell has a bright future three years down the line, especially if he can reap the benefits of learning from a historically great deep threat, DeSean Jackson.

“The decision to select him was not just thinking simply in the short term, but also envisioning three seasons from now. Tutu walks into a situation where he’s able to team up with one of the most electric deep-threat wide receivers over the last decade in DeSean Jackson, who he shares many of the same qualities with. Premier perimeter player with A1 acceleration and the ability to threaten each level of the defense,” Gladstone said.

Atwell talked to Yarber during the pre-draft process, who he will be coached by with the Rams. Yarber is excited to have the speedy receiver on offense with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Jackson, highlighting his ability to turn a short pass into a touchdown in a flash.

“He can take a short pass to the house instantly. Or he can take the top off it and track the ball down the field. That’s what impressed me a lot about him,” Yarber said.

And then there was McVay during the draft. He said adding Atwell to the offense for Matthew Stafford would be huge, and that he gives the Rams another playmaker on offense.

“You know what, this will be a big deal. So I think being able to add him will really provide some of that explosiveness, you get another playmaker for Stafford, so I think that’ll be huge,” McVay said on the phone.”

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