At this point you may have heard, but Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell is a little small for an NFL Wide Receiver. How small? Well, apparently he weighed in at an astounding 149 pounds for his medical check before the draft. So yes, right out of the gate, Atwell will be one of the most unique outliers in NFL history if he finds success at the professional level. But despite his petite stature, the Los Angeles Rams did not hesitate in selecting him in Round 2 of the NFL Draft at Pick No. 57 overall. Does that mean he might have a chance after all?
Landing Spot Outlook
At first glance, the Atwell pick is a bit of a head-scratcher for the Rams. They still have both Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods on contract through 2023. The Rams just spent a second-round pick on Van Jefferson last year (a terrible idea given his age and putrid production profile). And they even have the ghost of DeSean Jackson on a one-year contract for 2021 to be their “field stretcher” for the four games he’s actually healthy this season. But upon further review, if you squint and stare just long enough, the opportunity could actually be quite sneaky.
Jared Goff’s limited arm is out of town. Matthew Stafford, gunslinger extraordinaire, is the new face of the franchise and an automatic upgrade for all targets involved.
The Rams just shed both Josh Reynolds (81 targets in 2021) and Gerald Everett (62 targets in 2021).
Van Jefferson is indisputably bad and somehow already going to be 25 years old by Week 1 of his second NFL season.
DeSean Jackson hasn’t played more than five games in a season since 2018.
So yes, Tutu Atwell may just slot right into some meaningful market share (80-100 targets) as a rookie in an offense that just upgraded their quarterback and loves to toss the pigskin around 600 times per season. And if Sean McVay can get creative, utilizing Atwell’s versatility, things could get fun early.
Atwell showed extreme efficiency as a runner on sweep plays and finished fourth among all Power Five Conference receivers in YAC per target behind only Devonta Smith, Henry Ruggs, and CeeDee Lamb in his big 2019 season. This type of player could be a lot of fun in the McVay offense.
Production Profile
Now for the fun part.
