The Los Angeles Rams signed Earnest Edwards, Wide Receiver, out of the University of Maine as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft.
Biography
Earnest Edwards is 5’10” and 188 pounds. He played four years at Maine and will be 22 years old at the beginning of the 2020 NFL season. Edwards, a second-team Associated Press FCS All-American, is the Maine Black Bears’ all-time leader in receiving yards, kick-return yards, and kick-return touchdowns.
College Production
Earnest Edwards broke out at the age of 19 (age during their first season with a 20% receiving dominator rating) in his second season at Maine. Edwards’ best season was his senior season at 21 years old. Edwards had 49 receptions, for 1,097 receiving yards, and 11 scrimmage touchdowns for a receiving dominator rating (average percentage of their team’s receiving yards and receiving touchdowns) of 34.4% (59th percentile). Edwards had above-average age-adjusted production. He averaged 767.5 scrimmage yards (68th percentile) and 7.8 scrimmage touchdowns (81st percentile) per season for an average scrimmage dominator rating (average percentage of their team’s scrimmage yards and scrimmage touchdowns) per season of 18.6% (86th percentile). Clearly, Edwards was the focal point of the Black Bears’ offense. However, market share and counting stats need to be adjusted slightly when comparing those numbers to other players from Power-5 conferences. Regardless, Edwards was very efficient for Maine and averaged 0.94 scrimmage yards per team play (75th percentile). Edwards was a standout special teams contributor as well. He had 99 returns, for 2,366 yards, and six touchdowns. Edwards’ dynamism and production on special teams should help him get on the field in the NFL.
Athleticism
Earnest Edwards has a below-average height-adjusted speed score of 87.38 (25th percentile) after running a 4.46-second pro-day-adjusted 40-time. Edwards is a quick wide receiver with good long speed. He will need to win by making defenders miss with the ball in his and creating yards after the catch in the NFL.
NFL Landing Spot
They looked like a shell of themselves in 2019. The much vaunted and destructive offense from 2018 that carried them to the Super Bowl took a major step back in production from their quarterback, offensive line, and running back. Despite that regression, wide receivers thrived. Cooper Kupp was the most productive receiver from the slot in the NFL, accounting for 22% of the targets, and finished as the WR4. Robert Woods accounted for 21% of the team’s targets, earning him a WR17 finish. The team’s third best receiver, Brandin Cooks, has been traded leaving an opportunity. Behind him was Josh Reynolds, who is serviceable in relief but not as a starter. The Rams run an up tempo offense that features a ton of play-action. In 2019 they ran the eighth most plays and passed on 62% of them. While Goff might have disappointed some last season after his 2018 performance, he was still at least within average when targeting most parts of the field. While this is a team that does devote targets to the running backs and tight end, the departure of Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks leaves a glaring opportunity in one of the most pass-heavy offenses in football.
***Editor’s Note*** The Los Angeles Rams selected Van Jefferson in the second round of the draft.
Analysis
Earnest Edwards is a compelling small-school wide receiver with a good production profile. Edwards is a player that is fun to watch with the ball in his hands. Hopefully, his dynamism on special teams will allow him to audition to NFL teams that he can be an electric player in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams signed Edwards as an undrafted player with only $4,000 guaranteed. The Rams invested more money in several other undrafted wide receivers and Edwards has a steep hill to climb to fantasy relevance in LA. He will have to overcome Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Josh Reynolds, and others to even see the field.
Earnest Edwards is one of my favorite wide receivers to root for this rookie season. It’s unfortunate he has such a steep hill to climb to fantasy relevance, but his special teams ability and skill with the ball in his hands gives him a puncher’s chance. Dynasty managers should be keeping an eye out for beat writer blurbs about Edwards. If he can win an opportunity to see the field, Edwards has the athleticism and skill set to produce on an NFL field.
Follow me to the moon and back, @ff_spaceman on Twitter, in my quest into unexplored spreadsheets and dynasty football analysis. If you enjoyed the advanced metrics discussed in this article you can explore them yourself in my college prospect database. I also co-authored over 40 rookie wide receiver articles from the NFL Draft and you can check those out and the rest of my writings on www.dynastyfootballfactory.com. Stay tuned for more undrafted rookie wide receiver articles from me over the next several days in your quest to find the next Adam Thielen. You can listen to my podcast @ATaleofTwoRivals with @ff_walrus and @ff_banterman.
Information found in this article was gathered from @ff_spaceman’s College Prospect Database, PlayerProfiler.com, Sports-Reference.com, AirYards.com, and a prospect’s college team website.
