St. Louis Rams: The Wide Receiving Free Agent Class

It feels to many of us true Rams fans that the receiving corp hasn't had a big play maker or a guy that can even catch the ball properly since the days of Issac Bruce and Torry Holt (minus the good year Danny Amendola had last year). Since it appears that the lloyal Brandon Lloyd will follow McDaniels to New England, what are the Rams to do this off-season with a deep free agent class?

The names that pop out in free agency are Vincent Jackson, Desean Jackson, Marques Colston, Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne and even Stevie Johnson. While our initial reaction is take Vincent or Desean Jackson I don't think its in the best interest of the Rams to choose either. The name that is attractive after all the hype settles in is Marques Colston and I'll tell you why.

Colston has been in the league a year less than Vincent but has put up bigger numbers in an offense where Drew Brees is known for spreading the ball around (Vincent did take off a majority of the 2010 season due to a contract dispute). Jackson only had to share the receiving spotlight with Antonio Gates. While we argue that Vincent is physically gifted standing at 6'5 and weighing in at 230; Colston is nearly identical in stature standing at 6'4 and weighing in at 225. When put under the magnifying glass the two are eerily similar. Except in price.

Desean Jackson is an enormous talent without a doubt. But at this point the Rams are trying to build from the ground up starting with good characters. For those of you who keep up with football you know Desean Jackson just took a whole year of football off because of his current contract situation. He purposely missed OTA, practice and team meetings; what kind of "team player" does that? If Desean is willing to disrespect the club that gave him his chance then there is no doubt he will do the same to the Rams. While he might be the best choice in terms of age and talent, he is not the best choice when it comes to building a classy franchise that will focus more on the football field rather than their wallets.

After highliting everything wrong with the other possibilities how about we focus on Colston. Some can argue that it is hard not to succeed in an offense where Drew Brees is the quarterback. But in that case you can also argue that Colston hasn't been given the opportunity to be a primary receiver in an offense. Leaving much to question about how productive can he be if put in that number one spot on a team. The man is staggering in physique and a humble player who can put up and shut up. To those who know him he is called the "The Quiet Storm" since he can tear things up under the radar. If the Rams do sign him it will be an exciting experience to see him catch passes from Sam Bradford and keep his spectators as silent as his ego.