You know, someone said it in the comments a while back  and it suddenly hits me: they were exactly right. We do give Rams rookie WR Donnie Avery some mad love around here. Can you blame us? He's exciting to watch, the speed, the skills, the zany end zone dance...and we're Rams fans, known for a soft spot for great passing and receiving. 

But now that Avery's had a couple games to show his stuff, I think we can ask: is he the best of the rookie WR class? He's definitely one of the best, if not the best deep threats of the bunch. Let's go to the stats.

One caveat before we begin, Avery hasn't played as much as some of the other rookies. Most of his work has come in the last three games, since being elevated to the #2 WR spot. There are several WRs to compare him to, but I want to stick to DeSean Jackson, the one who burned the Rams pretty good in the opener and made it a point to mention his draft position relative to Avery's - Avery you'll remember was the first WR taken. Here's the list of rookie receiving leaders.

Comparing the two on numbers alone is tough for a couple of outside factors. First, Jackson's the top of the heap at WR in Philly; Avery's a #2 behind a future Hall of Famer in Torry Holt. Jackson's two catches for more than 40 yards came against the Rams and the Cowboys in the first two weeks of the season. Avery picked up his two long ones in the last two games, one against a good pass defense and one against a secondary missing its starters. Only Avery though scored on one of his long catches.

Right now, it's pretty subjective as to who's better. We do know that Avery owns an impressive skill set and it speaks well of him that he can even be considered one of the top rookie WRs not even half way through the season. We also know that the Rams choice of Avery was no mistake, even though the decision was quetioned by plenty. Another draft like this last one, and the Rams ought to be an elite team.