LA Rams 2021 NFL Draft : Mock Draft 1.1

Rondale Moore, wide receiver/kick returner Purdue

Kick returning issues have plagued the Rams’ special teams ever since Pharaoh Cooper’s departure after his 1st team All-Pro Season (minus the playoff game vs Atlanta) in 2017. So far the Rams are among the bottom three in total kick return yards.

Current kick returner Nsimba Webster is averaging 21.9 yards per kick return in 2020. That is well behind the 25 yards from a touchback. Webster is worse on punt returns where he had 7.6 yards per return.

The Rams need a solution and that is to take Rondale Moore. Moore is fast, shifty, elusive, has great ball carrier vision, and can work in tight spaces. There are times where a defense/kickoff unit will have him dead to rights and he will squeeze through the smallest crease. Once in the open field, he is even harder to tackle. His on-the-field speed makes him hard to catch from behind.

It’s hard to project how Moore will fit into the Rams system outside of special teams. It’s hard to see him be anything more than a gadget player pulling the occasional jet sweep, and that’s if he takes snaps with the regular offense. The Rams are missing that deep speedy receiver after the departure of Brandin Cooks so it is worth a try to see if he fills a need.

But even if he cant, as long as he improves the Rams kick return ability, he will be worth a roster spot. After all, the ability to flip field position on special teams is a rare commodity in the NFL which is very valuable.