Who will earn the TE2 role for the LA Rams in 2022?

Huge upside, still raw technique

And those who remain, or who will join the team this year, will likely fall into the raw but plenty of upside category. Of course, the poster child for upside from the LA Rams roster is none other than Jacob Harris. But after a year, is Harris any closer to realizing any of that star-studded potential?  Or will his reputation slowly tarnish because the athleticism that gave him incredible advantages in collegiate football, simply does not do so in professional football?  Actually, I think he is closer to breaking out than you may think.

Harris can create mismatches. The LA Rams simply will not give him that chance until he masters the entire skillset of either tight end or wide receiver. He was close to reaching that threshold before the injury last year. Whether you still view him as a tight end or have bought the new category of wide receiver, Harris will be that guy that gives defenses more fits than the Rams coaches who tried to fit him into a positional category.

Once he matures, his size will create mismatches with defensive backs, and his speed will create mismatches for linebackers. It’s hard to accept that the LA Rams coaching staff will not unlock his upside this year.  In fact, that could be one of the reasons why Liam Coen was hired on as the offensive coordinator, as he has a solid background in developing younger players into contributors.

Is this finally Brycen Hopkins’ time to shine?

There was a lot of optimism when the LA Rams drafted TE Brycen Hopkins with the 136th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.  At the time, the addition of the 6-foot-4 245-pound tight end out of Purdue was expected to redshirt his first season, but take up the role of tight end Gerald Everett after Everett departed via free agency.

The 2020 NFL season came and went. Then the 2021 NFL season came and went. TE Johnny Mundt leapfrogged Hopkins to take the TE2 role. When Mundt was injured, the Rams promoted Kendall Blanton into the TE2 role. Even when the Rams were unable to suit up Higbee for two games, Hopkins continued to be only a minor rotational player throughout the 2021 season.

It was not until the Rams had no other option that Hopkins was finally given a shot, and that opportunity occurred in Super Bowl LVI. Hopkins caught all four passes thrown his way for 47 yards. He helped move the chains three times and allowed the Rams’ offense to win the game. So now the question is, was that truly the turning point that many believe it to be? Or was that simply a situation that was so critical that the Rams’ offense simply caught the Bengal’s defense by surprise?  I don’t have the answer to that one, and I’m not convinced that the Rams coaching staff has the answer either.

Hopkins descended in the Rams’ depth chart as low as possible. Will that experience make him more determined to compete this year? He certainly does more experience than other players, and he has as much incentive to play well.

That’s the Rams roster right now at the tight end position. Do you believe the Rams are set now? Or do you expect the team to add a TE during the draft?