LA Rams January Mock Draft ‘smokes’ the secondary

With the 210th pick…

The Los Angeles Rams select wide receiver Tre Turner, from Virginia Tech. Now that ‘feels’ more like an NFL Draft Class that is acceptable to LA Rams head coach Sean McVay, doesn’t it? And while I can only project that the offense may lose one wide receiver to free agency by the name of Odell Beckham Jr., the Rams are notorious for scooping up offensive talent.

Tre Turner is one of those receivers who has a number of intriguing characteristics that may put him in the sight of the LA Rams organization. For starters, the LA Rams were certainly lacking a second possession type of receiver after Robert Woods went down. Cooper Kupp was as dependable as ever. Van Jefferson can fly down the field and can run excellent routes, but he has some drops. Even veteran Odell Beckham Jr. is better at making big plays than a lot of little plays that simply move the chains.

Tre Turner could fill that need in a reserve role. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 190-pounds. Over the span of 43 collegiate games, he caught 134 passes for 2292 yards and 14 touchdowns. But there is more. He was also active as a rusher, carrying the ball 53 times for another 456 yards and four touchdowns. The Rams would find a lot of use for a receiver who can also run the football.

Most of the draft analysis on Turner cannot say enough good things about his hands. Described as ‘secure mitts’ and ‘strong handed’, he catches the football with his hands away from his body.

Turner will compete in the Senior Bowl, and that may catapult him out of this spot on the NFL Draft board. I don’t think that the Rams pursue him if he’s selected higher.  I believe that the Rams will use one of their three sixth-round compensatory-draft picks to select a rookie wide receiver, and Turner was by far the prospect with an ideal fit and upside for the Rams offense.