After each OTA practice, team insider Myles Simmons will share his top 10 observations from the day's session. Here are 10 notes from Day 7 on Monday, June 3.
1) During the special teams period to begin Monday's practice, quarterbacks were working with coaches on the second field. Reserve quarterback John Wolford actually made a one-handed grab while fielding a throw from backup QB Blake Bortles. Bortles was practicing a play-action pass and threw it over the middle of the field, where Wolford stuck his left hand out and snatched it for a nice grab.
2) At the beginning of individual drills, the offensive line worked on recovering fumbles. It's a sort of "in case of emergency" drill, but ball security is important, and things do happen. The OLs were working in pairs, with one rolling a ball toward the other, and the second fielding the ball by getting on the ground and tucking it.
3) Also in individual drills, defensive tackle Aaron Donald displayed his considerable lateral quickness while running sideways through the bags. It's almost as if Donald glides where others have to step, his footwork is so precise. And that's when he moves from either the left or right.
4) The Rams first-team offense and first-team defense were on separate fields for the first 11-on-11 period of the day — with both top units going against a scout team. During that period, quarterback Jared Goff connected with wideout Josh Reynolds on a deep pass down the left side, hitting him in stride.
5) In 7-on-7 drills with the first-team offense competing with the defensive starters, safety John Johnson did a nice job in coverage, staying over the top of a Reynolds double move. Johnson's coverage induced a reset from Goff, as the QB then settled for an underneath route. Johnson received some praise from cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant after the play.
6) As OTAs continue, rookie running back Darrell Henderson is beginning to emerge on offense. Because the Rams don't have pads on, there's only so much you can tell from a RB on a play-to-play basis. But he's looked more comfortable finding the right hole within the scheme. And he caught a nice swing pass to the left side during 7-on-7.
7) After one segment of the 7-on-7 period, head coach Sean McVay came over to the defensive sideline to compliment safety Eric Weddle on his performance during the drill. McVay has been effusive in his praise of Weddle throughout the offseason program.
8) Wide receiver Austin Proehl caught a couple of passes in a row from Bortles during 7-on-7, one of which was a nice grab over the middle where the wideout had to elevate and reach a bit behind him. It stands to reason the Bortles-to-Proehl connection could get a lot of play during the preseason.
9) Tight end Gerald Everett made a really nice deep catch down the left sideline in the red zone during 7-on-7. He caught the ball in stride from Goff, using his length to reach over the defender. McVay called Everett a bright spot for the club during the offseason program during his Monday press conference — which makes sense as the third-year TE has been making a lot of plays during OTAs.
10) Finally, wide receiver Robert Woods closed out 7-on-7 with a great one-handed catch in the back of the left side of the end zone. He stuck out his right hand, looked like he kept his feet in bounds, and caught the pass from Goff for a would-be touchdown.
