For much of the past decade, the Los Angeles Rams have had a near-toxic relationship when it comes to undersized wide receivers. From Tavon Austin to Tutu Atwell, the Rams simply haven’t been able to make the undersized, fast wide receiver work in the offense. With Atwell now out of the picture after leaving in free agency, one popular choice at wide receiver in the draft from fans has been Georgia’s Zachariah Branch.
While Branch is an exciting player, we’ve been here before. After trading up to
draft Tavon Austin eighth overall, the Rams tried to find a role for the player with the most exciting college highlight reel of all-time. Austin eclipsed 500 yards as a receiver once and his best season came in 2015 when he had 907 total yards from scrimmage. It was after that 2015 season that Austin signed an extension. He was traded in 2018.
In 2021, the Rams passed on a need at center and Creed Humphrey and instead took another undersized, fast wide receiver in Tutu Atwell. Atwell provided more as a receiver than Austin, especially in terms of route-running, but the idea with the two players was the same. The second-round pick eclipsed 500 yards just once with the Rams and signed a fully-guaranteed $10 million contract before 2025 only to have six receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown. At least the touchdown resulted in a win against the Indianapolis Colts.
When it comes to these players, the idea tends to always be better than the reality. The exception is always used for why it will work this time. “Tutu Atwell could be the next Desean Jackson or Tyreek Hill,” was something fans heard all too often. However, those players are exceptions.
That’s not to say those players can’t be successful, but they are very role-specific. Austin was 5’8, 174 and ran a 4.34 40-time. Again, his highlight reel might be one of the best ever. Atwell played at 5’8, 165 and ran a 4.39. Branch is 5’9, 177 and ran a 4.35.
Now, it is possible that Branch ends up having a solid career and is closer to Zay Flowers or has some success like Curtis Samuel. However, within the realm of possibilities, the chances of that seem small. Much like Atwell, the Rams would likely have to take Branch in the second round as he’s the No. 63 player on the current consensus big board. Mississippi State’s Brenen Thompson can be added to this conversation as well.
The Rams have been there and done that not just once, but twice. Drafting Branch immediately after getting rid of Atwell would be like breaking up with someone with a toxic trait only to rebound with someone else with the same toxic trait and expecting a different result.
These types of players are simply very role-specific. There is a reason why they are described as gadget players. Whereas a player like Puka Nacua can create his opportunities, a player like Atwell or Branch need opportunities created for them. Those players need designed touches in order to be successful while not always warranting those touches. This is why having someone such as Xavier Smith in that role works. Smith was an undrafted free agent and has already exceeded expectations.
Using Smith on a jet sweep or throwing him a deep ball is more of a changeup rather than something that feels forced because an offense has to get a certain player involved. It doesn’t feel like a waste using Smith as a decoy player on a clear route in the same way that it does with Atwell.
As Matt Harmon of Reception Perception wrote,
“Zachariah Branch won’t be for every evaluator out there, and quite frankly, his collegiate usage makes for a tough Reception Perception charting profile, too. There are some “real receiver” moments for him when running in-cuts over the middle against man coverage but the rest of the picture is cloudy, at best, as a route runner. He makes up for that with his highlight-reel ability with the ball in his hands and plenty of translatable “in space” reps but that still leads to a limited application skill set…In some ways, the NFL is putting less emphasis on these types of receivers as high-volume slot options…However, modern offenses are also relegating some of these smaller speed receivers to motion at the snap and “love the game” route players to create leverage for other higher-volume wideouts…. There’s some form of role waiting for him in the pros, but it could be a pretty narrow deployment plan.”
It simply doesn’t make sense to take a player with a “limited application skill set” as high as the second round. A player in the second round may not contribute right away such as Terrance Ferguson last season. However, that player should be able to develop into someone who can contribute full-time. Unfortunately, for players like Branch and Atwell, a full-time role tends to be the exception.
