FA WR preview

UFA WRs as of 2/19/08 (from kffl.com)

RamView's Top 5: 1 - Randy Moss (DUH) 2 - Bernard Berrian 3 - DJ Freaking Hackett 4 - Bryant Johnson 5 - Andre Davis

Sleeper: ER-nest WIL-ford

Gawd No: Tim Carter

Rams analysis: The Rams have two Hall-of-Fame receivers, though Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are getting closer to the Hall every day, if you know what I mean. Drew Bennett was supposed to be the big target the passing game lacked, but was a big BUST instead. Bennett's big contract means he'll continue to be a big clog, ER, cog, in the Ram offense if I like it or not. Behind those three, the Rams were carrying FOUR small WRs having questionable kick return skills at the end of last season. The Rams are clearly in a position where they need to get younger, bigger and faster at WR, and have to get serious about preparing for the day Isaac and Torry hang up their cleats. The Rams seem almost certain to draft at least one receiver in April, and with trade rumors for Chad Johnson or Roy Williams a-swirling, the WR corps for next year could certainly take any number of shapes.

Viewing the field: There are a ton of UFA WRs available, though I'll be the first to admit I can't tell a lot of them apart. If you're looking for potential field-stretchers, there's Devery Henderson, Samie Parker, and Keary Colbert, among others. If you're looking more for big men, there's Doug Gabriel, Drew Carter, Justin Gage, and Ernest Wilford, among others. No way in hell is Randy Moss signing on with a 3-13 team. But in the current UFA WR field, only he and Berrian caught more passes last year than - Isaac Bruce. Hackett's 32 catches, 384 yards, 3 TDs are impressive when you know he played only 6 games last year. Of course, he was injured for 10. Johnson is a seriously productive WR. Buried behind Fitzgerald and Boldin in Arizona, he still had almost 50 catches. Too bad the Rams already have Bennett. If the Rams are indeed self-PR-destructive enough to cut Bruce, David Patten is at least statistically a very similar player. Henderson is interesting because he averaged over 20 yards a catch. Then again, he only had 20 catches.

RamView's move: Until I get over to analyzing the defensive side of the ball, Hackett's my #1 target in free agency. He's young (27 next season). He's big (6'2", 199) and he looks fast. If he's clear of any issues with last year's high ankle sprain, you'd be weakening a division opponent and have a clear successor to Bruce on your roster. Plus dude, he's a graduate of San Dimas High School! San Dimas High School Football rules! Tell me this receiving six doesn't work for you in 2008: Holt, Hackett, Bruce, draft pick (James Hardy? Please?), Hall, Bennett. That's a great mix of size, speed, youth and experience, even with Bennett in the mix. I can keep Derek Stanley to back up Hall on kick returns, while calling an end to the Marques Hagans Experiment, and with apologies to his fan club, Dane Looker's run in St. Louis. Donnie Jones is perfectly capable of holding kicks.

What the Rams could do: Randy Moss and Scott Linehan are a natural match, right? Who was OC at Minnesota for Randy's biggest seasons? OK, enough humor. The Rams will keep Bruce, unless they're complete idiots. Even so, they have to regard WR as a priority area. They will address it early in the draft, and in FA they ought to be looking for a bona fide #2 WR who will rotate with Bruce and Bennett depending on the situation. Knowing Linehan likes his WRs big, my guess is they'll go after Johnson, who's slightly bigger and slightly younger than Hackett, without any current physical questions.

Prediction: Holt, Bruce, Bennett and Hall will be joined by a big WR from the 2008 draft and by somebody like Drew Carter, who'll compete with Bennett for the eventual #2 WR job and will come more cheaply than some of the higher FA prospects.