St. Louis Rams Closing Evaluations: What Grades Do the Wide Receivers Receive?

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Givens: For the majority of the season, Chris Givens continued to leave Rams fans wondering how he was so good as a rookie in 2012 and has gone on to be such a non-factor over his subsequent two seasons. In fairness to the 6-foot, 203-pound receiver, he didn’t get much of a chance to prove anything. He was inactive for two early-season contests, and he never rose above fourth on the depth chart. Even after Brian Quick went down with a season-ending injury, the Rams didn’t do much to integrate him into the offense.

Givens ended up with just 11 catches during 2014, which interestingly was a lower total than Austin Pettis’s 12 receptions, all accumulated during the first five weeks of the season. Those catches went for a total of 159 yards. By far the brightest point of Givens’ season was a 47-yard touchdown catch against the New York Giants in Week 16 which accounted for roughly 30 percent of Givens’ total receiving yards for the season.

The most disappointing thing about Givens was that other than his big wide-open catch near the end of the season, he didn’t really do a good job of taking advantage of the opportunities that he was given. According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged just 3.8 yards after the catch, which is disappointing coming from the player that has often referred to himself as the fastest player on the team and caught passes of 50 yards or more in five straight weeks during his rookie season.

In addition, Givens’ 64.7 percent catch rate (per PFF) was the second-lowest among the Rams’ receivers, only ranking ahead of Kenny Britt. Simply put, if a receiver if fourth or fifth on the depth chart and can’t get to the passes that are thrown their way, they’re not going to continue to get chances.

While Givens ended the season on a high note, it is still difficult to envision a scenario where he has an easy path to a roster spot in 2015 due to his rapid regression over the past two seasons.

GRADE: D

Next: The Castoffs (Austin Pettis, Damian Williams)