Selected with the first pick of the second round in the 2012 NFL Draft, former Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick is expected to be the big, physical playmaker the St. Louis Rams have been lacking at the position.
Thus far, Quick has been relegated to the second-team offense, but that could be changing.
According to Dan O'Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Quick came to life during last Thursday's indoor practice and carried that over to the Rams' 31-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night.
Still playing with the second-team offense, Quick had three receptions for 20 yards, which isn't overly impressive production, but that's beside the point. What was impressive about Quick's night was how he used his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame to his advantage.
Working out of the slot on his first catch, Quick ran a short drag route, but muscled his way for additional yardage after the catch. On his second reception, Quick used his size and strength to get position on Chiefs cornerback Stanford Routt (not a second-team defender) and fended off a contested catch on a five-yard slant. Quick then beat veteran corner Jacques Reeves on a slant inside the 10-yard line for an apparent touchdown, but replay ruled him down just shy of the goal-line.
"It looked like the light bulb came on for him," Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said, according to O'Neill.
The next step for the Rams is to get Quick, who signed a four-year, $3.822 million rookie contract, some reps with Bradford and the first-team offense.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter @brian_mcintyre.