The Los Angeles Rams made a bit of a surprise pick with their first selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, taking speedy wide receiver Tutu Atwell out of Louisville in the second round despite having a number of other needs.
The tea leaves for taking Atwell were there though as Sean McVay and Les Snead have talked about adding a deep threat all offseason.
Many thought that need was addressed with the addition of DeSean Jackson, although he is getting older and has dealt with a number of recent injuries so that was not a long-term solution.
Atwell could very well be the successor to Jackson as McVay recently discussed how the two are similar players.
“I think first of all, (WR) DeSean (Jackson) is a great player that’s been producing at a high level for a long, long time. I think he’s one of the all-time great deep threats, but he’s a great football player that provides so much value. So, we’re excited about having DeSean. That’s a huge compliment, that’s big shoes to fill, but I think there’s some similarities in terms of the ability to stretch the top shelf of the coverage. I think he really does an excellent job of tracking the ball effortlessly down the field.
“You know, one of the things that I think makes DeSean so special is just how quieted he remains in his lower half when the ball goes in the air and where he can go find it. You see some similarities, now DeSean’s been doing it for a long, long time. I like the competitiveness of (WR) Tutu (Atwell). I like everything that he stands for, the explosiveness, play-making ability. So, we’re excited about being able to add him to a really deep group when you talk about (WR) Robert (Woods), (WR) Cooper (Kupp) and you guys know how much I love (WR) Van Jefferson. So to be able to add another guy that can make plays in that room is a big-time get for us and being able to put players around (QB) Matthew (Stafford) was an important thing for us”
Atwell may only be 5’9″, 160 pounds, but McVay believes his speedy and shiftiness makes it seem like he’s a lot bigger.
“I think that’s what it is. I see a player that plays a lot bigger than that. I’ve been around some of these guys that don’t measure as big, but they play big. He seems like a friendly target on those intermediate and down-the-field routes. I think he does an excellent job of playing big where he’s going up, I see him high point some balls down the field. I think that’s where we always talk about the tape guides our decision-making. You don’t want to be naive to the facts of some of the overall stature and size, but I’ve been around a lot of guys that have measured the same and different guys play big. (Texans WR) Brandin Cooks is supposedly a smaller player and I know he’s a lot stronger and more physical, but he plays big down the field and so we hope that Tutu does those same things. DeSean, I think that’s a fair comp. That is a big, major comp when you talk about what DeSean has done. I’m a big fan of those guys that might be small, but they do play big and are they friendly targets for the quarterback? And that’s what we see in TuTu.”
Something else that McVay has taled about all offseason was the need for a new kick and punt returner. It appears that Atwell will be in the mix to earn that job in addition to seeing time on offense.
“Yeah, I think it’s an option,” McVay said. “The best way to evaluate is the opportunities and I think he has a lot of the skills that you would like to say project well. Tracking punts in live action, making those decisions, and then being able to create – once the ball is in your hands that’s usually pretty natural for a lot of those guys, but there is a specific, skilled, nuanced skill set that guys possess as returners. He has some of the things that project, but not a whole lot of experience there.”
McVay has typically had success with speedy receivers, so it will be interesting to see all the creative ways he gets Atwell the ball during his rookie season.
