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The Los Angeles Rams may not be done with adding more offensive firepower at wide receiver — even after luring in Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson via free agency to team with Super Bowl 56 Most Valuable Player Cooper Kupp.
And this wideout of interest already has familiarity with one past Super Bowl and league MVP: He was a 1,000-yard target for Patrick Mahomes not long ago.
Who the Rams Have Shown Interest in
Per NFL insider Aaron Wilson on the evening of Wednesday, April 20, the Rams have interest in former Texas Southern wide receiver Jonathan Giles — making him the second TSU prospect to meet with the champs following defensive end Michael Badejo.
But the 6-foot-, 201-pounder is more than just a past star from the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) realm. He’s also not just a former LSU Tiger who sat in a wide receiver room featuring future Pro Bowl talents in Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. He was a top target for one of the future faces of the NFL…
That’s because Giles ran routes and became a trustworthy target in Lubbock, Texas in an “Air Raid” offense operated by a young, rising quarterback in Mahomes.
Giles & Mahomes Together
Giles spent just two seasons experiencing the Big 12 realm.
But before Mahomes became a top 10 draft pick, and long before Mahomes fed the ball to Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and company, it was Giles who was one of the first recipients of his passes.
Giles caught 85 total passes for 1,313 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in 18 Red Raider games according to Sports Reference. But his final season in Lubbock — which became Mahomes’ last season of college — saw his best numbers: 69 catches, 1,158 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns in 11 games played.
The native of Missouri City, Texas also accomplished these accolades with Mahomes slinging the rock: A 12-catch, 219-yard and 2 touchdown day versus Kansas, scoring a trio of touchdowns versus Louisiana Tech and, in one of the more wilder college football games of all time, hauled in 10 catches for 167 yards and scored twice in the 66-59 shootout loss to Oklahoma on October 22, 2016.
And that was a Sooners team led by future No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield (threw 545 yards and seven touchdowns that evening) and had future AFC champion running back of the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Mixon (263 rushing yards on 31 carries with two scores plus 114 yards on four grabs and another touchdown that night). Mahomes went on to tie the NCAA single game passing mark of 734 yards.
That game, however, was Giles’ last 100-yard outing for the rest of the season. He eventually announced his transfer from Texas Tech on April 28, 2017 — just one day after Mahomes was taken by the Chiefs.
Giles Post Mahomes
Giles never got the chance to flourish in the LSU offense.
Not only was he trying to get his share of touches in Baton Rouge with Chase and Jefferson, but in Giles’ first season of eligibility after sitting out due to transfer rules, a young Ohio State grad transfer named Joe Burrow stepped into the Tigers’ facility.
In his only season at LSU, Giles caught no more than three passes in each game and only tallied 59 yards.
But he arrived to TSU as a grad transfer and immediately found his way back to the field. He ended his college career with 44 catches, 424 yards, an average of 9.63 yards per catch and crossed the end zone seven times.
Should the Rams take in Giles, they’ll get a wideout who ran a 4.46 40-yard dash while also leaping to a 37.5 inch vertical jump and hitting 17 reps on the bench press at his Pro Day. Plus get a 1,000-yard weapon from Mahomes’ past.
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