Young Rams Weapon Labeled 'Breakout Candidate:' ESPN

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Van Jefferson high points a football during his time with the Florida Gators in a November 2019 game. Jefferson is now entering his second season with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams have a loaded amount of weapons to choose from on offense, but only one was given the title of “breakout candidate” by one ESPN insider on Tuesday, September 7.

And he’s a second-year pro and former second rounder anticipated to surpass his rookie totals from a year ago: Van Jefferson.

The former Florida Gator Jefferson is projected to take new leaps this upcoming season per Rams beat reporter Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. He’s anticipated to see plenty of footballs even while operating in a receiving core that has their three older older wideouts bringing a combined 28 years of experience and 1,425 receptions with them in the Ram system.

Jefferson ‘Has Firm Grasp’ On Playbook Now

Here’s what Thiry wrote about her breakout candidate of the upcoming season:

“Jefferson flashed and appeared mature beyond his years as a rookie throughout training camp last season, but he made a minimal impact on the offense with 19 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown. Jefferson admitted his head was spinning last season, but he now has a firm grasp on the playbook and feels more comfortable in his Season 2. With a consistent connection established throughout camp with new QB Matthew Stafford, coupled with the Rams’ plan to monitor veteran WR DeSean Jackson’s workload, watch for Jefferson to make a splash in an offense that’s preparing to put up big numbers.”

So here’s how we can interpret this:

Thiry pointed out that Jefferson admitted “his head was spinning,” meaning that in his rookie season, he sounded overwhelmed with learning the Rams’ route combinations and plays. This helps explain the low numbers from last year.
Now, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound wideout spent late July/early August in Irvine developing field cohesion with the new quarterback Matthew Stafford.
But more notable: The Rams are planning to keep the other prized free agent addition Jackson on the football version of a pitch count: Limiting the number of plays he’s on the field, which points to Jefferson gaining the bulk of the snaps. The Rams have already experimented with this by adding Jackson to their “veteran rest day” list during the 2021 training camp season.

Another reason behind Jefferson’s renewed energy? He had a real training camp experience with fans, teammates and developing chemistry on the field and in the Rams’ hotel room, which he dove into in this July 28 presser video below.

Thiry wasn’t the only ESPN reporter with high expectations for Jefferson though.

ESPN Insider Believes Jefferson Will be a ‘No. 3’

Jeremy Fowler took a trip to Orange County on August 9, 2021 to check in on the Rams’ offense. He came away feeling that it’ll be Jefferson, not the 14-year veteran Jackson, who could ascend to the Rams’ third WR option opposite of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.

Here’s what Fowler wrote in his August 13 article:

“Van Jefferson has a good chance to man the No. 3 receiver spot despite the arrival of DeSean Jackson. He has had a really strong camp. Jackson will have his packages, but the Rams won’t overload his snaps, and Jefferson could often to be the first to spell Kupp and Woods out of two-receiver sets. At least that’s the way it’s trending.”

All signs are indicating that September to January will see lots of breakout moments for Jefferson. That means Ram fans could see connections like this one below.