The Rams made the bold decision to trade Brandin Cooks this offseason, ridding themselves of the bloated contract they signed him to just two years ago. They already had a replacement on the roster with Josh Reynolds, but they added another talented wideout to the mix when they drafted Van Jefferson in the second round.
There may not be a player on the Rams’ roster who has had a better training camp than Jefferson, as the rookie has shined in everything from walk-throughs to the team’s two scrimmages at SoFi Stadium.
Jefferson still has three quality veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, but his camp performance is setting up for a promising rookie year. Peter Schrager of NFL Network has higher expectations for Jefferson than just “promising,” though. He expects the rookie to have a breakout year, putting Jefferson sixth on his list of 10 breakout stars for 2020.
He’s nailed Mahomes, Marlon Humphrey, & Danielle Hunter in recent years.
This is @PSchrags' Top 10 Breakout Players of 2020.
Let's start with 6-10
10. Cardinals TE Dan Arnold
9. Jaguars DE Josh Allen
8. Ravens S Chuck Clark
7. Bills RB Zack Moss
6. Rams WR Van Jefferson pic.twitter.com/BcEcMscCbu— GMFB (@gmfb) August 31, 2020
“You’re saying, ‘What about Kupp? And what about Woods? And what about Reynolds?’ Let’s just say this: The comparison I have been hearing for Van Jefferson is not Odell Beckham, it’s not Julio Jones. It is a technician. It is Keenan Allen. That is the comparison I am hearing out of Rams world on Van Jefferson,” Schrager said on Good Morning Football.
Schrager said Jefferson has “been putting on a show all summer long” for the Rams, continuing to prop up the rookie out of Florida. A breakout season might be hard to see happening because of the depth the Rams already have at wide receiver, but Jefferson has the makings of a quality (and versatile) wide receiver in the NFL.
His ceiling will be even higher in 2021 if the Rams can’t re-sign Cooper Kupp and Reynolds, who are both set to be free agents in March.
