PFF on G. Everett (fantasy article)

Fantasy-related but interesting:

Gerald Everett (second round, Los Angeles Rams)

After posting my dynasty rookie rankings earlier this week it’s clear I’m far higher on Everett’s potential than most of my peers. Here’s why:

- Newly appointed head-coach Sean McVay hand-picked and spent significant draft capital (their first pick in the draft, No. 44 overall) on Everett.
- Tight ends play a major role in McVay’s offense, and McVay may view Everett similarly to how he utilized Jordan Reed while in Washington. McVay’s tight ends hauled in 25 percent of the team’s targets in each of the past two seasons (league average was 20 percent over this span). Reed also led the position in fantasy points per snap each of the past two years.
- Outside of, possibly, last year’s fourth-round selection Tyler Higbee in the immediate future, I don’t see much target competition for Everett moving forward. The Rams receiving corps boasts the generationally inefficient Tavon Austin as incumbent WR1, free agent acquisition Robert Woods (who has never reached 700 receiving yards despite four straight seasons with at least 75 targets), and FCS rookie Cooper Kupp.
- By pretty much every receiving metric I consider significant, Everett was an absolute monster as a receiver throughout his college career. (Note, however, that his level of competition was also much softer than the tight ends selected ahead of him.)

The concern with Everett, like with the earlier names, is that his deficiencies as a blocker might keep him off the field early in his career. However, if there really is a “Reed-role” in the McVay offense, this shouldn’t be as much of a concern. Reed was asked to pass block only 6.0 percent of the time last season.

[www.profootballfocus.com]