2017 Rams Rookie Report: Preseason Week 2

The Los Angeles Rams continue to see progress in their rookies. Whether it be draft picks or free agents it seems this class under Coach Sean McVay’s tutelage is a good one as he continues to maximize their skillset.

The Rams rookies were vital from beginning (Gerald Everett and Cooper Kupp) to end (Josh Reynolds) with production in between from the young players.

Gerald Everett

After a quiet debut against the Cowboys, Gerald Everett made a huge leap this week in the passing attack. After snagging two passes last week, Everett caught all four of his targets this week, including an interesting play where he lined up as a fullback, came out the backfield and shook a defender (and fellow alum of mine) Marquel Lee.

The one knock on Everett is that he isn’t an experienced blocker. Though he won’t be expected to block Khalil Mack on a regular basis, this is one area where he can still stand to improve.

Cooper Kupp

Another week, another touchdown for Kupp. This time it came the way most foresaw, a reception touchdown.

This was a great play design and gameplan execution by the Rams. After using Todd Gurley well in the zone running scheme, a playaction pass confused the cornerback who had deep third responsibility which led to an easy touchdown.

Kupp was impressive in his two quarters of action, he led the Rams in all receiving statistics, six catches on seven targets for 70 yards.

Josh Reynolds

Reynolds was fighting off the injury bug in his first training camp but has come on strong in recent weeks. While drawing rave reviews in camp for having a knack for the deep ball, he impressed fans with a game-winning touchdown reception on a deep ball.

It’ll be interesting to see how Reynolds fits into the Rams plan as he for now sits behind Sammy Watkins, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Pharoh Cooper, and maybe even behind Tavon Austin (once back from injury).

The Other Guys

Tanzel Smart continues to be solid in his action, playing well in Aaron Donald’s absence.

John Johnson played a lot in the slot corner position which is encouraging as he can be a switchblade. However, he had some struggling moments in coverage and had a high number of tackles which is not always a good thing for defensive backs.

Kevin Davis continues to impress at linebacker (a fairly thin position group) as Mark Barron continues to get veteran treatment in the preseason so far.

Overall

The young rookies are continuing to impress for this Rams team. As the preseason progresses, less and less rookies will impress but a select few like Everett and Kupp may actually see an increase in roles and responsibilities. This class is showing early returns of being a promising group.