The Los Angeles Rams secured themselves a potential deep threat in the form of wide receiver Tutu Atwell in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Head coach Sean McVay acknowledged the team’s need to bring back an explosive element to this offense following the blockbuster acquisition of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Atwell and wide receiver DeSean Jackson have since been brought in to help fill that void.
The 5-foot-9 rookie speedster established himself as a bona fide playmaker at Louisville. However, there are still some concerns regarding his small frame at the next level.
It appears the Rams plan on doing what they can to address this by having Atwell prepare to put on five more pounds, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
Atwell revealed Sunday afternoon that he and the Rams have discussed putting weight on and getting him to around 160 or 161 pounds. He said he currently weighs 155.
“We’re going to do whatever we can to work it out,” he said.
Atwell acknowledged that while gaining weight may be difficult for him, he is looking forward to the challenge:
“It’s very tough,” Atwell said with a laugh. “I’ve got a fast metabolism, it burns fast. I mean, it is what it is. I’ll try my best. The coaches know that. So we’re just going to do what we’ve got to do.”
The offseason is a crucial time for rookies to get acclimated to playing at the NFL level. For Atwell, that means putting on as much weight as he naturally can before the start of the 2021 NFL season.
It is safe to say that L.A. was well aware of Atwell’s slight frame when they used their first pick of the draft to bring him in. While most players experience at least some degree of weight gain during their transition to the NFL, this will seemingly be a point of emphasis for him in training camp.
This will be part of the development stage for Atwell as he continues to progress into a potential weapon for the Rams offense. Fortunately, this group’s success is not solely contingent on whether or not he gains weight because they are already one of the most talented in the league.
The primary focus for Atwell will be stretching the field for his teammates and producing highlights on deep balls thrown from Stafford. However, this plan did suffer a bit of a setback after he was recently placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
