4 reasons that Tutu Atwell could become an immediate star for the Rams

4 reasons that Tutu Atwell could become an immediate star for the Rams

If you’ve watched a Louisville game in the last two years, then you know you can’t miss Tutu Atwell. If you’ve played defense against Louisville in the last two years, then you probably have. One...

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4 reasons that Tutu Atwell could become an immediate star for the Rams​

If you’ve watched a Louisville game in the last two years, then you know you can’t miss Tutu Atwell. If you’ve played defense against Louisville in the last two years, then you probably have.

One of the many hurdles in NFL draft evaluations is the fact that the college and pro games are so different. I’ll give you an example.

In a 2018 game, quarterback TaQuon Marshall led Georgia Tech to a 66-31 win over Louisville. It’s not the fact that Georgia Tech scored 66 points that is interesting. It’s that Marshall finished the game 1-of-2 passing for 12 yards. The Cardinals, the team that lost by 35 points, had 360 passing yards with three touchdowns. But the Yellow Jackets had more total yards.

Because Marshall’s 175 rushing yards led the way for a 542-yard attack on the ground. Georgia Tech rushed for eight touchdowns.

Were Calvin Johnson a recruit in 2018, I imagine he would have rather gone to Louisville over Georgia Tech. One freshman on the Cardinals that year — albeit one who we might as well start calling “THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF CALVIN JOHNSON” — was Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell, and that blowout loss to the Yellow Jackets also marks the day that he made it clear that he could be the steal of the 2018 recruiting class.

Atwell scored two touchdowns that day, more than the total number of completions by Georgia Tech in the game.

It’s an incredible achievement for any true freshman playing division-I football in the same conference as Clemson. It reaches another level of disbelief when you take into account that Atwell had been a dual-threat quarterback in high school. In Atwell’s first career game as a wide receiver at any level, he caught a 30-yard pass against Alabama.

That’s like when Clint Eastwood decided to give directing a shot after so many years of a successful acting career, and his first movie was Play Misty for Me, then High Plains Drifter, and soon after, The Outlaw Josey Wales. Eastwood went from acting to directing/acting. Atwell went from throwing and running to catching.

Atwell’s “successful westerns” phase happened over the last two years of college football. After setting a Louisville true freshman record with 132 yards against Wake Forest, Atwell entered 2019 as the team’s top weapon. This coming only a year after Louisville was the only major program to give him a scholarship offer as a three-star recruit out of Miami. Not even Miami, which as you’ll see, is clearly something that Atwell did not forget.

As I said in the beginning, when you watch Atwell play, you can’t un-see that he is so much smaller than everybody else. Even when he’s not going up against future professionals at Alabama and Clemson, Atwell is smaller to such a degree that one could imagine that Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson might like the chance to get to stand next to him at a photoshoot.

But size only matters to those who don’t produce and when it comes to production, Tutu Atwell is anything but the “opposite of Calvin Johnson”.

These are 4 reasons why I believe that Tutu Atwell could be as much of a steal for the Rams in the draft as he was for the Cardinals in the recruiting process.

1 - Atwell has always been productive

As a true freshman, playing wide receiver for the first time, Atwell caught 24 passes for 406 yards and two touchdowns.

The next year, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase ruled college football, leading all receivers with 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. Justin Jefferson was third with 1,540 yards. CeeDee Lamb was sixth. Michael Pittman was ninth. And Chatarius Atwell was 10th, gaining 1,272 yards on 69 catches, with 11 touchdowns. He had one more catch and 16 more yards than DeVonta Smith, the receiver who would win the Heisman the following season.

Atwell also had more yards in 2019 than Gabe Davis, Rashod Bateman, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, and Jerry Jeudy.



View: https://youtu.be/Fs0feSzVjc4

While many receivers enter the NFL out of schools that are known for inflating wide receiver stats, Atwell was Louisville’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Harry Douglas in 2007. This includes Devante Parker, Dez Fitzpatrick, Jaylen Smith, James Quick, and Eli Rogers. Atwell’s seven 100-yard games in 2019 were as many as Lamb and Devin Duvernay, and more than Pittman or Smith. He was consistently effective, scoring a touchdown in nine different games (including one with a passing touchdown), and he went over 140 on four occasions.

There have also been bad days, particularly against elite competition. Atwell was far less effective in games against Notre Dame, Clemson, and Kentucky. He did make a statement against his hometown school though. The 256 career yards and four touchdowns against Miami are Atwell’s best marks against any team.



View: https://youtu.be/cPxPyM5OYuc

How does he do it? The simple answer is that Tutu Atwell is a better offensive player than most of the players on defense in college football and in the ACC. There have been seven defensive players drafted within the top 60 picks over the last three years, and six of them came out of Clemson. (Can you name the one who didn’t?)



View: https://twitter.com/ryderm25/status/1358145004053532672?s=21

So unless Atwell was playing against Clemson (he had two catches for 44 yards as a freshman, three catches for 37 yards as a sophomore, didn’t play them last year), he was rarely playing against NFL competition.

This is something that must have worked against Atwell in the draft preparation process, but he had other important factors going in his favor.

2 - Atwell could be the fastest player on the Rams

There will be some dispute as to who the fastest player on the Rams is right now, and that is not something that you can decide by comparing 40-yard dash times. Not from history, and not even recently. That’s not the speed the NFL is really interested in anyway.



View: https://twitter.com/uoflfootball/status/1173007492210679808?s=21

I think the first prospect who shows up to the NFL Scouting Combine in full pads and then runs the 40-yard dash all geared up should be an automatic day one pick.



View: https://youtu.be/YWL5Xez7bKI

Atwell’s official pro day time of 4.39 is better than good (Odell Beckham ran a 4.38) and it is the same reported time as rookie teammate Jacob Harris. But other reports say that Atwell can run a 4.27, and that would be tied as the fourth-fastest in combine history. There’s nothing on the tape, in pads, to suggest that Atwell is anything other than a neuron beaming from lobe to lobe.

McVay said after OTAs that you “could definitely feel that speed” when Atwell was at practice.

3 - Sean McVay won’t hold back a rookie if he’s ready as a rookie

I don’t believe that McVay shies away from rookies just because some highly-touted draft picks of past didn’t see much action early in their careers. Did they deserve it?

Few players do, and the Rams have been successful in trusting veteran additions over first round draft picks, so there is also less likelihood of LA being in a position to start a rookie. When those types of players come along though, McVay seems to trust them.



View: https://twitter.com/cammellor/status/1198366314060013568?s=21

The Rams signed Robert Woods and traded for Sammy Watkins in 2017, but that didn’t stop Cooper Kupp from being essentially a Week 1 starter. Kupp caught four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in his debut. Gerald Everett played in 29 offensive snaps in that same game. John Johnson became a starter in Week 5 of his rookie season. In 2019, Taylor Rapp was on the field for 31 snaps in Week 1, starting by Week 7. Jordan Fuller was an immediate starter in 2020. Sebastian Joseph-Days unofficial rookie season, after missing all of 2018, saw him become a Week 1 starter.

Even Van Jefferson was given ample opportunities to contribute in Weeks 1 and 2 of last season, but for whatever reason, his time on the field did not seem to be productive and he didn’t get back into regular action again until late in the year.

That also highlights the reality that Atwell must find snaps and targets while playing as maybe the number five or six receiver when the Rams enter training camp.

There’s no chance that Kupp or Woods will budge from their spots as the top two options for Matthew Stafford. McVay has trusted those two receivers to lead the way for his offensive in each of the last four seasons and I don’t expect 2021 to be any different in that regard. The team made this even more clear when they (somewhat recklessly) extended them both.

The addition of DeSean Jackson at $2.75 million guaranteed appears to signify that Stafford’s preferred number three will be the veteran. McVay has praised Jefferson of late, and there is reason to believe that he will have a much more important role in the offense next season. McVay did say last year that the Rams had “big plans” for tight end Tyler Higbee following his dramatic increase in production at the end of the 2019 season, but then Higbee saw a significant decrease in targets, even though he played in over 100 additional snaps.

The reality is that the Rams might have big plans for Van Jefferson right now and those plans could change. I would also think that the Rams would say that they have big plans for Tutu Atwell. I think they’re only planning good things to happen for their players.

But Sean McVay isn’t usually the type of coach to keep good players off of the field.

4 - He can be useful in more ways than one

Atwell didn’t do much work on special teams at Louisville, but he fits the profile to be a dynamic returner and McVay’s been “pleased” with his work on punts already.

It only took Atwell one offseason between high school and college to learn how to become a wide receiver. I do not doubt that he can spend one offseason between college and the pros to learn how to return kicks, and for certain players, that experience seems to build confidence and hype as they await for more chances on offense.



View: https://twitter.com/pfn365/status/1394302542650257411?s=21

One player who balanced both successfully as a rookie was Jackson. In 2008, Jackson debuted with six catches for 106 yards and eight punt returns for 97 yards in a game against the Rams. He finished with 912 receiving yards and 440 punt return yards as a rookie.

Atwell’s pro comp before the NFL draft was DeSean Jackson. If you want a fifth reason, the guy blocking his path might also be a great mentor for him.



View: https://twitter.com/pff_college/status/1357815010903404545?s=21

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

this guy is gonna be deadly on the jet sweeps. for some reason tavon became gun shy in 2017 and refused to cut upfield off the jet sweeps, even though it looked like there was some room there. also, i don't think a single pass was thrown his way on a jet sweep either when he didn't get the ball and nobody was covering him. i don't think mcvay trusted him at all.

tutu could be the player we wanted tavon to be.

.

 

[Merlin]

What I like here is that we don't need Tutu in year one, barring injuries to the WR corps. So he should have time to learn the scheme and work on his punt returns and all that. And as mentioned above by KF in the meantime he can threaten in some schemed usage with his speed and separation.

I really think this guy's selection was dimmed by Tavon's failure. So many of us had big hopes for him that when we see another small dude with those baby arms it triggers some shit. But I do think he's got more to offer right out the gate as a receiver than Tavon ever did. Tavon never got good at route running. Tutu meanwhile snaps off some pretty mean and sudden cuts on guys. Tutu doesn't slow when he cuts, he can accelerate through them. And the ball adjustment is key for any guy his size, being able to put himself under the ball is simply crucial because of catch radius limitations. You see him adjusting smoothly to balls in flight on his film.

IMO the comp for him is Az Hakim in terms of what he can provide to this offense. He may, like Az, require a rookie year to get situated though before we fully feel his addition. But once he does this guy should be a terror of a matchup for a third CB.

 

[So Ram]

Enjoyed the highlights. Tutu is explosive & confident. I’m not sold on him as of now,only because of his practice getup. Sort of a traditionalist,so need proof he can play at the next level.
I’m a Fan of Van Jefferson & think he gets a lot of Reps in 2021.DJ is also in a mentor ship role.It might take more than a season for Tutu to get up to speed.
What I liked in the highlights was jet sweep & burner speed.The NFL is protecting WR’s more than ever.It looks like he has some serious PR skills.No matter what it gives The Rams a deeper PR depth chart.

 

[So Ram]

What I like here is that we don't need Tutu in year one, barring injuries to the WR corps. So he should have time to learn the scheme and work on his punt returns and all that. And as mentioned above by KF in the meantime he can threaten in some schemed usage with his speed and separation.

I really think this guy's selection was dimmed by Tavon's failure. So many of us had big hopes for him that when we see another small dude with those baby arms it triggers some shit. But I do think he's got more to offer right out the gate as a receiver than Tavon ever did. Tavon never got good at route running. Tutu meanwhile snaps off some pretty mean and sudden cuts on guys. Tutu doesn't slow when he cuts, he can accelerate through them. And the ball adjustment is key for any guy his size, being able to put himself under the ball is simply crucial because of catch radius limitations. You see him adjusting smoothly to balls in flight on his film.

IMO the comp for him is Az Hakim in terms of what he can provide to this offense. He may, like Az, require a rookie year to get situated though before we fully feel his addition. But once he does this guy should be a terror of a matchup for a third CB.

I don’t see that comparison really at all. Then again my memory is less clear there.What exactly will he provide in your opinion?
He has to be able to be a PR guy.Then I also don’t see Kupp as a Ricky Prohl.
A guy that was underrated as a game changer was Tony Horne.Is Funk the KR guy or Henderson?

 

[bwdenverram]

The only thing for me is I was a big Tavon fan when we drafted him. Tutu seems almost identical in what he brings. Time will tell. I hope he crushes it but sure seems oddly similar to what we already had. But you can NEVER have too much speed.
But I'll go with Merlins assessment. If he's a better route runner than he has a leg up already.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

What I like here is that we don't need Tutu in year one, barring injuries to the WR corps. So he should have time to learn the scheme and work on his punt returns and all that. And as mentioned above by KF in the meantime he can threaten in some schemed usage with his speed and separation.

I really think this guy's selection was dimmed by Tavon's failure. So many of us had big hopes for him that when we see another small dude with those baby arms it triggers some shit. But I do think he's got more to offer right out the gate as a receiver than Tavon ever did. Tavon never got good at route running. Tutu meanwhile snaps off some pretty mean and sudden cuts on guys. Tutu doesn't slow when he cuts, he can accelerate through them. And the ball adjustment is key for any guy his size, being able to put himself under the ball is simply crucial because of catch radius limitations. You see him adjusting smoothly to balls in flight on his film.

IMO the comp for him is Az Hakim in terms of what he can provide to this offense. He may, like Az, require a rookie year to get situated though before we fully feel his addition. But once he does this guy should be a terror of a matchup for a third CB.

I hope you are right. Az was 5'-10" and 189 lbs. He's got 40 pounds on At well....and Az looked small on the field.

 

[ProGen]

I wonder how many articles have been written like this over the years :alol::

Why *insert player name* could become an immediate star for the *insert team name*​

 

[thirteen28]

Tavon never got good at route running.

None of the WRs drafted under the previous regime ever got good at route running nor at any of the other little details needed to become a good WR because the offensive coaches were crap. I've always wondered if Tavon would have succeeded on another team where he had time to learn and had coaches who would really work on teaching him the proper way to play WR. By the time McVay showed up, Tavon's bad habits were too ingrained to be fixed. What gives me more hope for Tutu is that from McVay on down to his peers in his position group, everybody will be working to teach him proper route running, etc.

 

[Merlin]

None of the WRs drafted under the previous regime ever got good at route running nor at any of the other little details needed to become a good WR because the offensive coaches were crap. I've always wondered if Tavon would have succeeded on another team where he had time to learn and had coaches who would really work on teaching him the proper way to play WR. By the time McVay showed up, Tavon's bad habits were too ingrained to be fixed. What gives me more hope for Tutu is that from McVay on down to his peers in his position group, everybody will be working to teach him proper route running, etc.

I agree the coaches were crap. But the players deserve cred too for success or failure. Tavon IMO just thought he could outrun everyone but at this level he wasn't nearly as special. It's also why the Rams now try to draft guys who love the game so at least they have players who give a fuck about getting better and are wired to take coaching.

And also re: Tavon what was really some bullshit was Fisher (you know he was a big part of this) having the team pay that little MFer. One of Fisher's worst moves. Hopefully the Rams have now moved past paying dudes early holy F. I mean how many times has that bit them.

Re: Tutu I think you make a great point with the guys in that WR room. The professionalism of Woody & Kupp have already had a big effect on Jackson too. I'm hopeful there.

 

[Florida_Ram]

Tutu Atwell - Az-Zahir Hakim?​

Tutu is a small dude and being the first draft pick of the Rams this year has a lot of scrutiny behind the Rams logic of selecting him.

A lot of prognosticators thought the Rams reached selecting him in the second round.

He has big time potential but could easily end up being a total bust.

Until we see him play against live NFL competition and see how he holds up getting smacked around by NFL defenders, we can only speculate how his career will be for the Rams.

I'm hoping he ends up being as good as Az-Zahir Hakim.




View: https://imgur.com/VFiWxsa

 

[kurtfaulk]

And also re: Tavon what was really some bullshit was Fisher (you know he was a big part of this) having the team pay that little MFer. One of Fisher's worst moves. Hopefully the Rams have now moved past paying dudes early holy F. I mean how many times has that bit them.

you can't really fault them from a performance perspective for paying him as he was the only spark the team had at the time and he just had a great year of being an offensive weapon. get in early so you won't have to pay him more later.

where they went wrong was that they didn't know him at all. you don't give big money to a guy that doesn't live and breath football. he said himself that when he got paid he didn't put in the work anymore and it showed on the field. even mcvay couldn't get anything out of him.

.

 

[oldnotdead]

Tutu and Harris will put secondaries on their heels. Safeties will have to think twice about their over the top coverages if those two are on the field. You have to know it will give Woods and Kupp a lot more single coverages in man. That said I think Stafford will be looking at zone the majority of the time. McVay knows how to beat zone schemes. With guys like Tutu, Harris and even Funk, I can see a whole lot of YAC on even short throws

These guys will expand McVay's scheme and its why I expect a change in the scheme particularly next year. I think we will see glimpses of it this year when these guys get spot snaps.

I think Funk will be in the RB rotation far more than most think as the year goes on. It's a long season so McVay will be forced to rotate his RBs more than perhaps he normally would. Funk's speed will make him truly dangerous. One missed tackle on the second level and this kid can take it to the house.

I'm excited to see how Sean uses the speed he now has.

 

[VeteranRamFan]

I wonder how many articles have been written like this over the years :alol::

Why *insert player name* could become an immediate star for the *insert team name*​

Three. Just three.

 

[Flint]

Tutu and Harris will put secondaries on their heels. Safeties will have to think twice about their over the top coverages if those two are on the field. You have to know it will give Woods and Kupp a lot more single coverages in man. That said I think Stafford will be looking at zone the majority of the time. McVay knows how to beat zone schemes. With guys like Tutu, Harris and even Funk, I can see a whole lot of YAC on even short throws

These guys will expand McVay's scheme and its why I expect a change in the scheme particularly next year. I think we will see glimpses of it this year when these guys get spot snaps.

I think Funk will be in the RB rotation far more than most think as the year goes on. It's a long season so McVay will be forced to rotate his RBs more than perhaps he normally would. Funk's speed will make him truly dangerous. One missed tackle on the second level and this kid can take it to the house.

I'm excited to see how Sean uses the speed he now has.

You expect to see Harris this year as a TE?

 

[Raptorman]

I wonder how many articles have been written like this over the years :alol::

Why *insert player name* could become an immediate star for the *insert team name*​

Why *Laquan Treadwell* could become an immediate star for the Vikings this year.


Point made.​

 

[kurtfaulk]

Why *Justin Jefferson* could become an immediate star for the Vikings this year.


Point made.​

 

[CGI_Ram]

I really think this guy's selection was dimmed by Tavon's failure.

It’s easy to see why. Fool me once, fool me twice, yada yada.

At some point, “the size of things” becomes a factor you cannot overcome. For QB’s… it’s hand size. Somewhere around 9.25” hand size, it becomes a problem. The success rate of QB’s below this size is very low.

What about physical stature? Where is that line? Weight of 170lbs? Using QB hand size as analogy, Atwell at 155/165lbs is a 9” hand. Or something like that. So, size is a valid concern. I can’t fault people for seeing it that way.

At 5’ 9” he’s far from the shortest, however. We should note that.

Another thing about Atwell, his sudden movement and overall game appears very natural. Like the speed of the game and his internal clock seem well in sync… THATS something Tavon never had. Tavon seemed like a fire drill with the ball in his hands. Just a guy running like hell.

Atwell is a football player. Anxious to see him against NFL competition. So far, he’s met that challenge at every level.

 

[Raptorman]

What a player does in college can never be guaranteed to transfer to the NFL. Only playing time will determine that. How many WR's were drafted the year Adam Theilen signed with the Vikings? Only time will tell.

 

[MauiRam]

Atwell was born with the innate ability to track a football while running at top speed downfield. I think that ability will transfer and pay big dividends. It may take a bit of time for Stafford to sync up with him at first, but he surely will. Yes Atwell is small & light, however he'll be in motion much of the time he sees the field thereby making it far more difficult for defenders to jam him effectively. JMO ...