NFL Draft 2021: Top 7 LA Rams prospects from MWC

Hawaii WR

Still with us? I hope so because here is a fun player I’ve wanted to look at for some time. The Mountain West Conference prospect next up is a wide receiver from Hawaii named Rico Bussey (5.48-grade per NFL.com). He is a talented young man with plenty of information available, but somehow that information doesn’t agree. Go figure?!

Rico Bussey is listed as a 6-foot-0 186-pound receiver in his NFL profile and is projected as an undrafted free agent.  The Draft Network and PFF project him as a 6-foot-2 and 190-pound receiver who is likely a sixth-round prospect. Of course, he had a 2019 injury that involved his ACL, and some draft profiles state that he is a step slower in 2020. I never saw that.

What I did see is a North Texas State receiver who outplayed his offense for four seasons up to and including the year he fell to injury. He played 2020 at Hawaii, where he appeared to be less in sync with his offense. It was 2020, and COVID-19 restrictions were clearly at play. In 38 games, he recorded 159 receptions for 2215 yards and 22 touchdowns. Unfortunately, in his last season, he played 7 games and recorded 31 receptions for 274 yards and just one touchdown.

He has a little bit of experience on special teams, and that could be of use to him in his quest to claim an NFL role. Even as a receiver, he is a willing blocker, which of course is a huge plus for the Rams. He may not hear his name called, but he certainly is very capable of big plays. His 4.5-second 40-yard dash time is fast enough to give him a role at stretching the defense.