LA Rams: 5 ways Matthew Stafford set up to succeed this season

Method III: Big Targets

After the LA Rams strategized over the offensive line, the team’s next order of business was to assess the type of receivers with who Stafford had found the most success over his career and try to replicate their counterparts in the Rams offense.  Of course, the Rams already had a rather robust group of receivers awaiting the new quarterback, but they were all similar in their physicality, talent, and route tree. To accomplish that, the LA Rams shopped for big targets in the NFL Draft.

How did the team do? Well, the Rams drafted 6-foot-5 tight end Jacob Harris and 6-foot-3 wide receiver Ben Skowronek to add to the offensive arsenal.  While that may not seem like a great shift in height, keep in mind that the Rams are also on track to activate redshirt tight end Brycen Hopkins in the offensive rotation as well.

They are the new offensive targets who join 6-foot-6 tight end Tyler Higbee, 6-foot-6 reserve tight end Kendall Blanton, 6-foot-4 tight end Johnny Mundt, 6-foot-2 wide receiver Cooper Kupp, 6-foot-1 wide receiver Van Jefferson, and 6-foot-0 wide receiver Robert Woods. Of course, there are more, but the point is that the Rams have a wide spectrum of height through their receiving ranks, and that will allow Matthew Stafford to work at maximizing his best passes with the corresponding receiver.

One of the most successful duos in a passing game was that of Matthew Stafford throwing to wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson’s unique blend of size, speed, and strong hands made him into a virtual indefensible target for Stafford’s passes. While the Rams cannot replicate Megatron’s total package, they have done their best to find the next best thing in drafting 6-foot-5 tight end Jacob Harris. Harris has Johnson’s size, nearly boasts Johnson’s speed, and the last remaining item to work on is that hand strength to catch anything in his radius.