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Being the first selection of a so-called new “era” or “regime” for a football team may seem daunting. It speaks to how much a front office can believe in a player.
That point likely stands true for Los Angeles Rams Tight End Gerald Everett. Everett was the Rams first draft selection under the new era of Head Coach Sean McVay as the 44th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Tight End is one of the toughest positions for college athletes to translate into the NFL. Why? I’m not really sure to be honest. But it’s historically been that way. Some TE’s take three, maybe even four years to develop. That bodes well for Everett as his rookie season only seen 16 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
But there’s more to it. Everett is your typical “move” TE. He’s not an old-school in-line TE who’ll block 50% of his snaps in the trenches and work from that position. He’s the new-age of TE who will flex outside of the numbers, be used in the slot, and occasionally in-line (traditional) or as an H-Back.
Let’s take a look at how the Rams used him last season:
Here is Gerald Everett's (#81) season in review. YAC God as I call him. Explosive/fast weapon, huge play threat. Consistently creates YAC. Rams liked using him as lone WR on 3x1 formations (need more). Can be a dangerous threat all over the field.
— Sosa (@QBsMVP) June 5, 2018
Needs to develop as a blocker. pic.twitter.com/nRFJW5eIvT
Splitting Everett out-wide as the lone WR in a 3x1 formation is an amazing utilization of his skillset. Loved it on the goal line vs ARI.
— Sosa (@QBsMVP) June 5, 2018
As long as he develops as a blocker and cleans up some contested catch stuff, he can be another tremendous dimension to the offense.
As I noted, the Rams liked using Everett as the lone WR in a 3x1 formation. I think it’s an excellent use of his diverse skill set, too. Often times flexing him outside the numbers means a LB or S will follow him, and I’ll take the 4.6-forty yard dash Everett in space over most of the defenders.
Not only is Everett a valuable weapon in today’s NFL, his talents align with the Rams perfectly. His specialty is his ability to create yards after the catch (YAC). As tremendous of an athlete as he is, his ability to create extra yardage with the ball in his hands is top-notch already.
Everett isn’t perfect though. The Rams relied on fellow TE Tyler Higbee last year as opposed to Everett, which is okay because as I mentioned above, the position is hard to translate to. Higbee is by far a superior blocker which is likely why he played a lot of snaps. Everett poses a bigger threat as a receiver and mis-match in space.
Luckily for the Rams their diversity in skill-sets allows the Rams to have the best of both worlds.
You might ask why I’m so excited for a guy who only had 200 or so yards last season? Look no further than Jordan Reed who was often Everett’s comp coming out of college.
A very similar style of player, Reed was one of the league’s most dangerous TE’s under McVay’s offense in Washington. Not only that, but McVay was the Redskins’ TE Coach from 2011-2013, and OC from 2014-2016. He had his hands all over Reed’s game. All Reed managed to do was total 248 receptions, 2,602 yards, and 20 touchdowns in four seasons under McVay’s tutelage.
As Everett continues to develop as a pro TE and the Rams offense/confidence in him grows, look for his playing time and involvement in the offense to both head North.