With training camp set to start and holes at wide receiver, one potential breakout player to watch out for is Cleveland Browns second-year WR Ricardo Louis.
Louis, a 6’2 215-pounder out of Auburn, was selected 114th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
During his rookie year, Louis caught 18 passes for 205 yards. While he did not score any touchdowns, he proved to be a valuable possession receiver in forming a connection with then-rookie quarterback Cody Kessler under center.
With Kessler in the mix to start in 2017 in addition to vacating the holes left by departed wide out in Terrelle Pryor, the uncertainty of suspended and troubled Josh Gordon and the recent hamstring injury to fellow draft class mate in first-round pick Corey Coleman, Louis has a chance to establish himself as a legitimate No2 or even No.3
Depending on if Cleveland adds a veteran WR such as Jeremy Maclin or the soon-to-be released Eric Decker, then Louis can seriously be in a spot to take advantage. Louis’ potential breakout success could very well depend on who is under center. While he already had some success with Kessler under center, the question remains is how will he perform with DeShone Kizer or Brock Osweiler?
With rookie tight end David Njoku likely to be the top weapon on offense and Britt second, Louis can very well siphon some valuable reps and playing time from Coleman, if he doesn’t come back to camp felly healthy and in tip-top shape.
While the projected starting lineup will likely feature Njoku, Britt and the fore mentioned Coleman, do not sleep on the sure-handed Louis getting some reps and earning a few starts in 2017.
Thanks to his combination of athleticism, ability to make some tough catches, and proving to be reliable and productive, when given a chance, don’t be shocked if Louis cracks Cleveland’s starting wide receiving lineup.
You are the 1st person I have ever seen say Ricardo Louis and has “Sure Hands”. The knock on him coming out in the draft was his hands and route running. It didn’t appear to be any different his rookie year. You either have hands or don’t.
Bill, thanks for reading, and yes he did have some issues with drops at Auburn and some in Cleveland, but he also made some pretty good catches when working with Kessler. As stated, I like his athleticism and upside. Hopefully he will
Work extra hard to improve it, but that’s just my opinion. Thanks again and Go Browns!
Couldn’t have said it better myself. This was a good article, with very good points, calling Louis “sure-handed” is ludicrous. The young man dropped too many catchable balls last year. Does he have upside, absolutely, but let’s hold off until he shows he can catch the ball on a consistent basis.
Enjoyed the read. I like his upside. Like to see what Coleman can do healthy. Before he got hurt you could see his why they picked him. Had Steve Smith attitude
Gears, thank you for the kind words, and yes I like his upside and potential. Despite the calls for Maclin and Decker, giving Louis a shot makes more sense–let alone cheaper ones–at that! ????
I love the article bro,I’m a die hard brownies fan I’m eager to see the season, I’m not sure how I have any view of Luis he’s a big target for any of the qbs,he can hit the middle of the field as well, but I am going to wait to see the wr core I like are core they are young but I think that they need to be a lot more hungry to prove it, for me I want are offense to be mean,but really it’s are defense that’s moving me I am banking on the d this year we are not a push over team now I am praying that the team feeling like us as fans