LA Rams: 5 players whose stock is on the rise after OTAs

WR Jefferson

While LA Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson is the only non-rookie on this list, he is every bit deserving of showing up on a list of players whose stock is on the rise after early OTAs. After all, his 2020 rookie season was so close to being a redshirt season, it’s hard to gauge what his potential might be in 2021 without a bit of faith and guesswork.

The 6-foot-2 197-pound receiver out of Florida had all the promise of a star rookie, but his ability to get onto the football field behind Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Josh Reynolds proved to be nearly insurmountable. As a result, he only saw action on 256 offensive snaps, was thrown to 31 times for 19 completion, 220 yards, and one regular-season touchdown.

His true chance to showcase his worth came in the Divisional Round of the 2020 NFL Playoffs when he hauled in six of seven passes thrown his way for 46 yards and one touchdown. Now keep in mind that Jefferson is the son of Shawn Jefferson, the former receiver coach of HOFer Calvin Johnson. Johnson is the former teammate of Matthew Stafford and gave a shout out to Van Jefferson during a recent interview on The Hook:

While all of that is positive, the real buzz comes from Rams head coach Sean McVay himself

That is a huge endorsement from McVay. McVay doesn’t praise players needlessly, and putting this out there this early in the season is a soft way of saying “Show up big” to his young receiver.