Rams WR Tutu Atwell – Draft Day Media Availability – April 30

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Rams WR Tutu Atwell – Media Availability – April 30, 2021

 

(On how he is feeling after being drafted)

“I’m feeling great right now, man. Just excited to be an L.A. Ram.”

 

(On his lead up process over the last couple of months with the Rams and how much contact he had with the team)

“I had a couple of zoom calls with them. The zoom calls went great, very well. Wide Receivers Coach (Eric Yarber) told me, ‘Don’t be surprised if I don’t let you go past the second round,’ so, I always stuck to that and my agent was telling me a couple of things and it was sounding great. I was just ready, and I was excited for it. My heart was beating fast.”

 

(On if he was surprised that the Rams selected him)

“No. Pretty much, like I said, we had a lot of calls. Coach told me I’d be a good role (player) and a good fit for their offense and how are they going to be able to use me. So, I wasn’t surprised. Coach kept his word and I appreciate that.”

 

(On how he uses his smaller size to his advantage)

“I just come with a chip on my shoulder at all times, no matter what the situation is, and I’m going to go get it. So, I’m just ready for the season to start and ready to get to it.”

 

(On his impressions of the Rams’ offense, Head Coach Sean McVay and QB Matthew Stafford)

“It feels great. On those Zoom calls we did a couple of plays, I got a good feeling for them – I knew what I was doing. We had a test, he tested me – I did everything, I answered most of the questions right and it was a nice conversation between me and the coaches.”

 

(On what it was like getting the call from McVay)

“Oh man, my heart just started beating fast. I was excited. I already knew what time it was when I saw the number zone from Cali. So, I already knew what it was. So, I was just waiting.”

 

(On how he feels he’ll be able to fit in with the Rams wide receiver group)

“I feel great about it. I’m a great receiver. When the ball is in my hands, I know what to do with it. The thing is, I just need the ball in my hands and I’ll show you everything else, you got my word.”

 

(On signing with Adidas)

“I’ve been with Adidas for like three years. Louisville is sponsored by Adidas, so I just kept it in the family. They have some great gear and everything like that. I feel great wearing it, so why not just go with them.”

 

(On his familiarity with WR DeSean Jackson and if he grew up watching him)

“It feels great, man. I grew up watching him when I got towards – I’m not going to say I grew up watching him, because I was always a quarterback, so I grew up watching (Hall of Fame QB) Peyton Manning. But when I started getting into the receiver thing, I started watching all the fast receivers, who I could be like and how I could pretty much similar my game too. So, it’ll be awesome to pretty much play beside him and everything like that.”

 

(On if the Rams talked to him about being a punt returner and what does he need to work on in that position)

“Pretty much, I feel like I need to work on sharpening my route running a little better. Just getting open without using my speed and using my hands a little more. I feel like I could progress on that.”

 

(On how closely he paid attention to the Rams over the past few years)

“I pretty much watched their slots. They have a few good slots I used to watch. I wasn’t watching that much, but we had a lot of cut-ups in the receiver room back in Louisville and some of their players were on the cut-ups. So, I used to watch them a little bit ,watched a little film on that.”

 

(On being from Miami, Fla., and if he’s ever been to L.A.)

“Yes, I’m from Miami. I’ve never been to L.A, before. When I was supposed to go to LA for the receiver camp, covid happened, so I didn’t ever get a chance to go there.”

 

(On if he ever played with a receiver with his similar speed when he played quarterback)

“I had a couple of receivers, not a couple. I had one receiver named Kieran Davis. He was pretty much quickness speed. He wasn’t that fast, but he had quickness. He got the job done, I got it open for him.”

 

(On the draft environment at home)

“Oh yeah, we have a big house right now. So, everybody was crowded over me. I was kind of hot, because I was kind of nervous. I was hollering telling them to back up or something. When I got a call, everybody was happy and everybody was proud.”