The Los Angeles Rams are one of the most talented and entertaining teams to watch in the National Football League.
The Los Angeles Rams have been fantastic in two seasons under Sean McVay and have gone from a team that was consistently a loser to a team that is one of the most talented and well-coached in the entire league.
The Rams made it all the way to Super Bowl LIII last season after posting a 4-12 record just two seasons prior, showing how quickly a team can turn it around with the right person leading the way.
Granted, the front office did a tremendous job at bringing in external talent to complement the homegrown “big three” of Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald. While not every move has worked out exactly as planned, it is safe to say that the front office’s aggressive behavior has paid off.
There is no disputing that the Rams are one of the most talented teams in the league. However, the talent of each individual player certainly can be debated. Some guys are overrated, some underrated and most are usually properly rated.
So, who exactly is the most overrated and underrated player on the Los Angeles Rams? We are here to answer that question for you.
Underrated: Brandin Cooks
Starting with a positive outlook, it is extremely obvious that Brandin Cooks is criminally underrated compared to his wide receiver peers throughout the league. Cooks has been one of the best wide receivers in his five-year career and has not been placed in that upper echelon by the common NFL fan.
Cooks has over 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last four seasons, with last year being his best to date with 1,204 receiving yards. He also has consistently found the endzone with a combined 30 touchdowns (29 receiving and one rushing) over the last four years.
Only three players in the NFL have over 4,500 receiving yards and 30 total touchdowns: Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and Cooks. Cooks has over 200 fewer targets than both Brown and Hopkins as well.
Why is Cooks underrated? Probably due to the fact that he has had Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Goff throwing him passes in his career. However, it is still absolutely insane that he has never been in the Pro Bowl but that he is not considered in the elite category with those guys.
Overrated: Clay Matthews
This might seem a bit unfair as Clay Matthews as not played a single snap as a member of the Los Angeles Rams but once he does, the fans that are so eagerly awaiting his arrival will release that he is not the Clay Matthews that they had hoped for.
To be fair, nobody really expects a prime Matthews to come over to the Los Angeles Rams and make a massive difference. Most people realize that he is in the final stages of his career and is not the same dominating threat on the defensive side of the ball.
However, his stock is still way too high despite turning 33 this month and not having an above-average year since 2015.
The Rams needed a lot of help at linebacker this offseason and Matthews being the marquee guy to help the problem should leave a sour taste in the fans’ mouths.
Matthews certainly has a legacy in this league and is well-respected. But like Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters last year, the expectations will prove to be too high.