St. Louis Rams WR Donnie Avery ran a sub-4.3 forty today, twice. Recovering from a 2010 season lost before it began, Avery reported today via Twitter than he ran forties timed at 4.25, 4.29 and 4.31. Music to the ears of Rams fans everywhere who wondered if Avery would still have the speed that made him the first receiver off the board in the 2008 NFL Draft after his knee injury in the preseason last year.
Breakout, many attached that label to St. Louis Rams WR Donnie Avery prior to training camp in 2010. The speedy Avery tantalized audiences in his rookie year, before getting burned by the three-headed quarterback monster the Rams had in 2009. He and wunderkid QB Sam Bradford never got much time together as Avery was lost for the year in the third preseason game.
It sounds more and more like Avery has recovered from his knee injury, a torn ACL. Players recover from torn ACLs all the time, but given the nature of Avery's game fans wondered just how much it would affect him. In June, he reported running a 4.4 forty.
With a new offensive coordinator and one of a dozen receivers competing for a roster spot, just how Avery will fare in Josh McDaniels' offense remains to be seen. The third year is usually a big one for receivers, when the put it all together, so all eyes will be on Avery to see if he does indeed breakout this year.
It also begs the question as to whether or not the Rams will re-sign Mark Clayton once the lockout ends. I suspect they will just because of health concerns among the receivers. Remember though that the Rams swung a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to get Clayton after Avery went down, so roster spots for either player won't come with any guarantees.