The upcoming shakeout at wideout

The Rams took significant steps in last week’s draft to mold their offense for new coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system. From rounds 2 to 4, the Rams’ receiving corps got bigger, got better hands, and got play-making ability, with the selections of Lance Kendricks, Austin Pettis and Greg Salas. The Rams are clearly going to clean house in the team’s least productive unit last season. Who’s staying? Who’s going? Let’s take a post-draft guess at the depth chart:

Wide receiver: If we assume that Pettis (1) and Salas (2) safely make the opening day roster, that leaves a precious four, possibly five, slots, chased after by as many as 11 different players:

* Danny Amendola (3). Amendola should be a lock to remain on the roster. After all, what other NFL player is he compared to the most often? Wes Welker. Who made Wes Welker famous? Josh McDaniels. Hard to believe anyone's going to beat Amendola out of the spot, or that the Rams would run off a clear threat to be a 100-catch weapon in 2011.

* Joe West, Brandon McRae, Greg Mathews. West was a late-season roster addition I’d completely forgotten was on the team. McRae made the practice squad last summer, then spent most of the season on the practice squad injured reserve due to a fractured fibula. Mathews was McRae’s practice squad replacement, and was there the second half of last season. I won’t claim it a waste of time to invite any of these three to training camp, but after making limited impact last season, the train is way out of the station now. McRae looked the most promising, but even his impact was limited, and his history of leg fractures makes him a long shot at best. OUT

* Danario Alexander (4). Alexander should be as safe as his knees will let him be. He's got the size and he's shown pretty well as a deep threat, running slant routes, and running after the catch. His last impression, two badly-blown deep plays against Seattle, wasn't a good one. But if he's healthy (BIG IF), and gains from a full season of coaching, the potential's there for Alexander to fill the Randy Moss role in McDaniels' passing game. He also was a willing and effective participant on special teams last year, which helps his cause.

* Brandon Gibson. The writing appears to be on the wall for Gibson. The Rams just drafted two wide receivers who are taller than him, have better hands than him, and were prolific touchdown scorers in college. Gibson’s had his moments here with some clutch catches, and he’s probably been the best Rams receiver after the catch the last couple of years. But the consistency’s never been there. Further hurting his cause is that he doesn’t play special teams. OUT

* Mardy Gilyard. After he drafted Austin Pettis, Billy Devaney made a crack about getting a guy who'll have no trouble learning the playbook. That appeared to be a remark pointed directly at Gilyard, and that isn't the least of his problems. The McDaniels playbook will be much more complicated than the Shurmur playbook. Also, Gilyard's route-running needs a lot of refinement, his hands aren't all that good, and he didn't prove to be much of a special-teams weapon. He pretty much needs Amendola to break a leg, or to make a quantum leap at kick returner that will compel the Rams to keep him on the roster. OUT

* Laurent Robinson. Robinson's a try-hard player who a coach will always give the benefit of the doubt, which the Rams showed by tendering him in free agency. He's the Rams' best-blocking WR since Isaac Bruce. Maybe that would give him a role on short-yardage downs, a WR you treat like a 4th TE. But that's the silver lining for a receiver who has bad hands and lacks speed to get open because he never really bounced back from a leg fracture two years ago. Today he looks like a long shot to get ahead of any of the Rams’ young big receivers on the depth chart. OUT

* Dominique Curry. (5) Curry’s in because he can play special teams. The rookie free agent had already stepped into a role as one of the Rams’ special teams aces by the third game of the regular season last year, his final game of the season due to a torn ACL. Sure, he’s as raw as sashimi as a wide receiver, but we’re only talking about the #6 guy here; he’ll probably rarely get on the field on offense anyway. The Rams need to get quality special teams play out of their receiving corps; that’s why Curry played early last year and Gibson didn’t. Things get complicated if Curry can’t regain the special teams chops he had last season. He's on my final roster, though written in pencil.

* Mark Clayton (6), Donnie Avery. One of this season’s eye-openers, then, shapes up to be one of these two veteran WRs not making the team. Avery would appear to be the faster of the two, a more dangerous deep threat and a more-likely threat to do something big with a quick screen, which the Patriots sure threw a lot when McDaniels was their OC. Avery’s also a couple of years younger than Clayton. At the same time, Rams Nation is still waiting on Avery. Other than a 2-TD game against the Saints a couple of years ago, a game the Rams still lost, Avery hasn’t had a game worthy of his spot as first wide receiver drafted in 2008. Clayton, meanwhile, was an impact player from the moment he stepped in, and his chemistry with Sam Bradford was undeniable. Could Avery have developed that kind of rapport with the Rams’ QB? Since he blew out his knee in the third preseason game, we’ll never really know. Believing that Clayton can operate out of the slot every bit as well as Avery can, I'd prefer the proven performer to the player that's never really delivered. Donnie Avery, as they say, better have a big camp.

Tight end: Four TEs would seem to be the very most the Rams would keep. Let’s slot one roster spot to Kendricks (1) and assess the rest:

* Michael Hoomanawanui (2). Illini Mike's frustrating injury history makes the TE position tricky to project, but when healthy, he was exactly the kind of receiving threat at TE that the Rams are looking for. He was also a credible fullback when used on passing downs. Remains to be seen if he develops into a strong run-blocker, or can stay on the field for more than a few weeks in a row, but his receiving success, despite limited exposure, keeps him on the front burner at tight end.

* Derek Schoumann, Darcy Johnson. Schoumann was a late-season fill-in; Johnson was injured in training camp and didn't look that good pre-injury. Both of these players have probably moved on already.

* Billy Bajema. (3) With neither Kendricks nor Hoomanawanui noted for their run-blocking just yet, Bajema becomes valuable in traditional 2-TE formations.

* Daniel Fells. The problem for Fells is going to be that he's not great at anything. He has never been a playmaker who's going to open the field up like Hoomanawanui, or like Kendricks is expected to. And I've never heard anyone call him a better run-blocker than Bajema, or even a better-than-average run blocker, for that matter. Or a significant factor on special teams. Fells is too limited to be the type of TE the Rams offense needs; unless he becomes a world-beater as a run-blocker this training camp, I think he's going to be another of those pretty-good players that unfortunately fall by the wayside as a team rebuilds. OUT

* Fendi Onobun. The little bit of field time he got in 2010, Onobun was a tantalizing prospect, inducing immediate panic in opposing defenses, and interference penalties called and uncalled, when he was brought in near the goal line. He was still a long way from being a finished product, though, a process stalled badly by a back injury that sidelined him most of last season. The Rams seemed to indicate their lack of faith in the Onobun Project by drafting Kendricks, who'll step immediately into the role that Onobun was being groomed for. My hope is that Onobun continues to develop well enough to merit putting on the practice squad, and that he'll be good enough to step in from there in the event of injuries. OUT, practice squad

* Somebody else. (4) Daniel Graham has played for Josh McDaniels at two different stops and has been called the best-blocking tight end in the league. He was cut by the Broncos early in March. Don't be surprised to see one of the Rams' first moves in free agency, if there ever is any, be to sign a blocking tight end. Sure, it'll drive the fan base up the wall. All this team's needs, and they spend a second-round pick and make a big free-agent move ON MORE TIGHT ENDS?!?

But that would give them two downfield threats at TE, along with another who hopefully progresses well on the practice squad and can jump in if/when there's an injury, and a couple of power blockers, including possibly the best in the league. The main battle in training camp as I see it will be between Bajema and Fells for one of the blocking TE spots, with Fells a narrow underdog at the moment.

That’s some familiar names – Avery, Gibson, Fells, Robinson, Gilyard – that I don’t see on the opening day roster, and I doubt that the Rams are even done making moves yet. In the end, though, expect it all to have been for the better, and that Sam Bradford will enter the 2011 season with bona fide receiving weapons at his disposal, and a better-blocked running game supporting him.

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