St. Louis Rams Training Camp Preview: Where Do The Receivers Rank?

Rank speculation continues this week, as it does every minute of every day on the internet. Over at SB Nation, my position rankings continue, nearing the end with the wide receivers. Obviously, wide receivers are a subject that gets plenty of attention from fans of the St. Louis Rams, fans who have watched their team scour every corner of the talent pool in hopes of finding help on the cheap for Sam Bradford.

So far, the results have been about what you would expect. Only a 10-game rental of Brandon Lloyd gave the Rams their first bona fide playmaker since the departure of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. This time, the new regime added a pair of receivers in the draft, a pair of players they already plan to lean on heavily this season.

So where does this unit rank in terms of the rest of the NFL?

You may not like where I put the Rams on that list, but I'm afraid I had little choice.

32. St. Louis Rams

The Rams have been hurting for receiving help since before they drafted quarterback Sam Bradford with the top pick in 2010. They may have found an answer in second-round pick Brian Quick who does possess a nice set of skills, but he the leap from Appalachian State to the NFL could be too much for overcome as a rookie. Slot receiver Danny Amendola was Bradford's go-to guy in the past, but he offers little in the way of playmaking ability. Fourth-round pick Chris Givens has 4.3 speed ... and two surgically repaired ACLs. The rejuvenation of former Giants receiver Steve Smith might be their best hope to improve the passing game.

Top Option: Danny Amendola

Of all 32 NFL teams, only the Dolphins and the Rams lack an established top receiver. Not necessarily a No. 1 in the mold of Fitzgerald or Megatron, but a solid all-around guy who makes plays. Even the Jaguars added Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson this year.

Like many of you, I hold out plenty of faith in the ability of receivers coach Ray Sherman and the others to extract some talent out of this bunch, especially Brian Quick, making it a better unit than in years past.

Amendola can at least catch the ball, but I'll be interested to see if his role changes any given Brian Scottenheimer's preference for tight ends and running backs over slot receivers. The passes that Danny caught in 2010, are the same ones Scottey doles out to those other two positions.

But, this is a different team with a different head coach. There is no easy translation from the Jets offense to the Rams offense. All there that we can count on are a bunch of question marks with hopefully positive answers.