Unlike many of the top wide receivers drafted this year, Tutu Atwell won’t step into a situation where he’ll have a clear role with his new team. At the moment, he’s the fifth wide receiver on the Rams’ depth chart, behind the likes of Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and DeSean Jackson.
That’s not to say he won’t still have a role as a rookie, but he won’t see the targets that fellow second-round receivers Terrace Marshall Jr., Dwayne Eskridge and Rondale Moore will. Atwell will benefit from practicing alongside the four players ahead of him, however, as well as learning from them on and off the field.
In a one-on-one sitdown, Atwell was asked what it means to be on a team with such great receivers.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I’ve grown up watching DeSean Jackson. When I moved to receiver, when I got to Louisville, I started watching a couple cut-ups of the small receivers. Cooper Kupp was one of them I was watching. I never watched Robert Woods but now that I’m on a team, I could learn from the guys and I’ll take everything that they can teach me.”
What does @c5_atwell want Rams fans to know about him?
“That I’m a great, humble person. They got a fast, nice, explosive guy coming to the Rams.” pic.twitter.com/e6Dc3s4ifX
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 20, 2021
Atwell is undersized at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, but he’s an electric athlete with great speed. He doesn’t have much experience as a punt returner, but that’s a possible role for him in the NFL – as is being a gadget player who can turn screens and handoffs into big plays.
He sees himself as a weapon who can do a variety of things for the Rams.
“Just another weapon, another piece, to the wide receiver (group) – not just the wide receiver, the whole team,” he said. “Special teams, punt return threat. I can add a lot. Just wait for the season and see what I can do.”
