Every offseason in the NFL, every team has a player or two primed for a breakout year. Whether it’s DeVante Parker in Miami, Nelson Agholor in Philadelphia or the Los Angeles Rams’ case, Gerald Everett, the opportunity for players to break out is more than apparent. The players mentioned above were all top-50 selections in their respective drafts and have not quite lived up to expectations. For some, that may change this upcoming season.

From 2012-2015 for the Rams, that player was Brian Quick. Not only was he a physical specimen at 6’4, 220-lbs, but he was also a player that showed flashes. Those flashes came far and few between, but it was those flashes that had fans clinging on for hope that one day, he might be able to put it together.

Rams fans know the story when it comes to Quick. He had one solid season in which he recorded 41 receptions for 564 yards, but when the Rams fired Jeff Fisher, the new regime let the receiver walk in free agency.

Going back even before that, it was Sam Bradford. The former No. 1 overall pick won Rookie of the Year in 2010 after surpassing Peyton Manning‘s record for most completed passes by an NFL rookie quarterback (326). Bradford became just the third rookie quarterback to start all 16 regular season games and pass for over 3,000 passing yards, joining Manning and Matt Ryan.

Bradford’s sophomore year would become the story of his career. Right when he would start to show promise, he would get hurt. In 2011, an ankle sprain derailed his season. After throwing for a career-high 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2012 and continuing that development into 2013, he tore his ACL. Bradford tore his ACL again in the 2014 preseason before the Rams finally moved on.

Why This Year Makes Sense For Everett

Heading into what will be his third year in 2019, Everett has once again been a popular breakout candidate for the Rams. The tight end is an obvious candidate after he saw an increase in receptions (33) and yards (320) as a sophomore.

Unlike many positions, tight end is one of the most difficult for young players to transition from college to the NFL. Many players struggle in the earlier parts of their rookie contracts before breaking out at a later point.

Historically speaking, tight ends see a dramatic spike in play in their mid-20’s. For example, Jordan Reed averaged 47.5 catches and 482 yards in his first two years before nearly doubling his production in year three with 87 receptions and 952 yards. Future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates also didn’t eclipse 1,000 yards until year three when he tallied a career-best 89 receptions for 1,101 yards.

Everett was the first selection of the Sean McVay era during the 2017 NFL Draft, out of Southern Alabama. He was the perfect athlete to insert into McVay’s system with the potential to be one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league.

However, heading into 2019 and his third year, Everett has yet to break 350 yards in a season and has only once eclipsed more than 50 receiving yards in a game. That includes last year when he was the team’s primary threat in the middle of the field with Cooper Kupp out with an injury.

Thus far, Everett has underperformed for a second round pick. Like with every breakout candidate, however, that’s not to say that there haven’t been flashes.

In potentially the best game of the 2019 season, and trailing the Kansas City Chiefs, 51-47, with under two minutes to play, the Rams went to their second-year tight end when they needed him most.

Everett is getting this ball from the get-go as Goff gets the matchup he wants with his tight end on Daniel Sorenson. Goff leads Everett perfectly down the sideline so that he catches the ball in stride and scores the go-ahead touchdown.

It’s just one play, but it shows the receiving threat and potential that is ready to be unleashed.

Why 2019 is the Year

Everett took significant strides as a sophomore. From just 16 catches in his rookie season, he more than doubled that with 33 last season. He also saw an increase in targets from 32 to 50.

That target share increase is even more evident from a week-to-week standpoint. The second-year tight end didn’t see more than five targets in any game in the first half of the season (Weeks 1-8). After week nine he saw five or more targets in four games, including a three-game stretch in which he had 20 combined.

Everett received the seventh highest receiving grade from Pro Football Focus and was the fourth-highest graded tight end overall behind George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and OJ Howard.

The Los Angeles Rams tight end has reportedly taken the momentum from his second season into year three. According to ESPN’s Lindsay Thiry, “Everett was a clear standout as a target for quarterback Jared Goff.” The Rams team website also listed Everett as a standout during OTA’s, “It seemed like every day throughout OTAs, tight end Gerald Everett made an impressive catch…If his performance during OTAs is any indication, Everett should be able to take a big step and meet those higher standards in 2019.”

Conclusion

While the Rams haven’t had success when it comes to breakout candidates in the past; when it comes to getting the best out of their players, McVay and co. have seemed to be able to do just that.

Everett certainly needs to show consistency in 2019, but statistically speaking, and if the reports at OTA’s are accurate, he seems to be on the right path for a breakout season.

Blaine Grisak is a writer for PFN covering the Los Angeles Rams. You can follow him @bxgrisak_SID on Twitter.