What do Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens have in common?
Other than sitting atop of the NFL record books in most receiving categories, all three went to FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) schools.
Though different circumstances led to each one attending those colleges as opposed to bigger-name schools, the road less traveled seemed to help push each of the three to greatness. It also helps that they were some of the most physically gifted receivers of their time.
Scanning this year's rookie class, Brian Quick jumps out as a guy who could very well be following in the footsteps of the NFL's greatest receivers.
He attended Appalachian State University, one of the most successful FCS programs in recent history. As such, most fans didn't know about him until the annual mock drafts started coming out.
After months of reading scouting reports and watching videos breaking down how special of a physical specimen and phenomenal all-around athlete he was, I was not surprised to see the St. Louis Rams take him off the board with the first pick of Round 2 in the 2012 NFL Draft.
It's hard for me to imagine him playing in a better situation to begin his career.
Playing for head coach Jeff Fisher, he'll most likely be the top target in the Rams' passing game. St. Louis needed a No. 1 wideout for quarterback Sam Bradford, something he hasn't had since his arrival, and they pulled the trigger on Quick based on his overall skill set and huge upside.
I say upside because he has only been playing organized football since his senior year of high school. This could actually be beneficially to both him and the Rams coaching staff, as any bad habits should be relatively easy to fix. The end result could be an extremely well polished and coached 6'3" 220-pound weapon for Bradford to play with.
Though the Rams were lacking a No. 1 receiver, their depth chart is loaded with enough options to prevent defenses from constantly double-covering Quick. Most notable of these is Danny Amendola, a Wes Welker clone who will return from an elbow injury to become the No. 2 wide receiver.
Throw Brandon Gibson, Danario Alexander and Steve Smith into the mix, and St. Louis has a formidable corps of wideouts that could allow Bradford to do the kind of damage Matthew Stafford did last season for the Lions.Â
If that ends up being the case, Brian Quick may emerge as the Rams' version of "Megatron," and announce his arrival to the rest of the league in a big way.
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