The St. Louis Rams have a young group of wide receivers with lots of potential, but little in the way of results thus far. It's one of the biggest question marks for the team entering the 2010 season. A crew led by Donnie Avery, the most experienced player entering his third season, could get another young talent amidst their ranks. Former Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander is healthy and running his way back onto the radar for the Rams and other NFL teams.
Here's what Rams GM Billy Devaney told the Post-Dispatch:
We know he can run. We know he can catch. We need to get the medical reports. If he's cleared physically, we'll probably bring him in for a visit and a physical.
Alexander has almost as many knee surgeries over the course of his college career as he does receptions. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but he has had his knee operated on four times. That's a huge risk, so what about the possible reward?
If you like size in a receiver, then you'll love the fact that Alexander is almost 6'5". Of course, being that tall means his 215 lbs is spread pretty thin across his frame, and that could be trouble in physical play at the pro level. Alexander is also a very physical player, according to his scouting report at MTD, and that compounds the injury risk.
Should the Rams sign Alexander? Since he's unlikely to cost much money as an undrafted free agent, it would be foolish of them not to try and sign him, if his medical report clears him, as Devaney says. The former Tiger would add a different dimension to the Rams young cast at that position. That said, it's difficult to count on Alexander as much more than another receiver with plenty of potential. While worth the risk, ris injury history, to me, presents a big roadblock to established stardom in the NFL.