2016-Present

Player Profile: A look at L.A. Rams rookie WR Josh Reynolds

Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Josh Reynolds (11) gestures as he is applauded by people on the sidelines after catching a fourth-quarter touchdown pass during the Ole Miss Rebels vs. the Texas A&M Aggies NCAA football game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas on Saturday, November 12, 2016. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)

The Los Angeles Rams further bolstered their beleaguered receiver corps by drafting former Texas A&M WR Josh Reynolds with the 117th overall pick. Given his tall frame, the Rams front office hopes the former Aggie will become an integral part of head coach Sean McVay’s offense.

At 6’3”, Reynolds is certainly not lacking in height. Despite his tall frame, there are various experts who believe that Reynolds has to put on some muscle to contribute at the NFL level. Weighing in only at 193 pounds, Reynolds is be considered to be somewhat undersized, especially when going against other opposing cornerbacks that have 10-20 pounds of muscle on him.

Reynolds excelled under the Aggies’ “Air Raid” offense. Two factors were key to his 30 career touchdown receptions: speed and leaping ability. In addition to possessing excellent physical tools, his awareness on the field, as well as ability to shield the ball from opposing defenses all prove to be pluses in his repertoire. In the NFL, those kinds of intangible abilities cannot be taught well. Instead, they are natural gifts.

Reynolds has to rely on his football intelligence more on the field right now, because he still has some work to do in other major areas. On expert, CBS Sports writer Dane Brugle has stated that Reynolds could make a name for himself first as a special teams player due to his height and on-field football IQ but needs to improve his overall aggressiveness and consistency on the field at an NFL level. Should he fail to do so, Reynolds’ role will be limited to mainly special teams.

At Texas A&M, Reynolds gained the reputation as a dangerous vertical threat when the ball was thrown his way downfield. Because of his tall frame, the former Aggie also proves to be a great mismatch in end zone situations. If this proves to be true, Jared Goff could finally have a receiver that can cause coverage nightmares for opposing defenses in the Red Zone. Last season Goff completed just 42% of passes for three touchdowns inside the 10-yard line.

In 2016 playing for the Aggies, Reynolds caught 61 catches for 1039 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Sources: NFL.com, Carter Karels, Dallas News, ESPN.com, rotoworld.com, pro-football-reference.com, tamu247sports.com

Martin Cruz is a staff writer for Rams Talk. You can find him on Twitter with the username @MCruz1988.

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