St. Louis Rams: Most Underrated and Overrated Players

Pete Prisco went around the league and pointed the finger at the NFL’s most underrated and overrated players. Denver Broncos CB Chris Harris received top honors, while NY Giants DE Justin Tuck simply doesn’t impress the CBS Sports' Senior Analyst.

Here’s who Pete picked for the Rams:

Overrated: TE Jared Cook. The Rams are paying a lot of money to a fifth-year tight end who has never had 50 catches in a season. I love the potential, but where is the production?

He brings up a good point about productivity for the Ram’ TE. Cook - who finished 2012 with 44 catches - finished 24th in the league in that category. Jason Witten finished with 110. As you might already be aware, the pay checks the team cut will certainly play a factor. Cook’s 5 year, $35.1 million didn’t make it into Prisco’s short line of reasoning, but I’d be willing to be it’s a factor.

Cook possesses the speed to and pass-catching ability to outperform last year’s catch stats in the right offense. Tennessee - in both Cook’s and the team’s eyes - was not a fit. He now joins the Rams, who have some of fastest players in the NFL on offense. In a new home, and a new offense, 2013 might just be the year that Cook makes Prisco a believer.

Underrated: DE William Hayes. He isn't a starter, but he gets a lot of time and makes a lot of plays. They re-signed him as a free agent for a reason.

Bingo! Williams Hayes was one of the team’s best pass rushers in 2012, and that says a lot. Trailing only Chris Long and Robert Quinn in sacks last year [with 7] re-signing Hayes was amongst the team’s highest priorities in the offseason.

Interestingly enough, both players were drafted by Jeff Fisher while in Tennessee. Whether or not these players is tagged as underrated or overrated means little when the 2013 season kicks off. Cook has a little more to prove in Prisco’s eyes, and he’s probably not alone in thinking so. Being underrated comes with expectations, though, and William Hayes has set his own bar high.

Who are your most underrated and overrated Rams?