Don't confuse a crappy RIR to be a Red Sex Link. I don't know what hatchery you are talking about, but hatcheries by and large, are breeding their stock more towards production and not breed type. That is also why you get bad tempered birds most often from hatcheries. A crappy RIR may look a lot like a RSL, but they are very different in that they are a cross breed versus a purebred.
IF one is looking for a good show bird, you are better off going to a breeder and not a big hatchery. That being said, McMurray does produce some very good birds sometimes. The New Hampshire Red that lolita posted is a good looking bird for a hatchery NHR. The color is very good too, and the black flecks in the neck and the black in the tail are correct. However, go to the auction page for hatching eggs and cpartis's auction for NHR if you want to see some EXCELLENT quality NHRs. It doesn't take a trained eye to see the difference.
Okay, but back to the bird in question, I think the OP has it, it is an EE. I didn't notice the cheeks on him before. And yes, it is a him with that coloring and it has that "look" I have come to see is male. It is a red colored male that will have some darker flecks in the neck that will eventually grow darker and more pronounced. You will probably also notice by comparison its legs will be a little thicker than the girls. If they are green legs, then there is little doubt that it would be anything but an EE.
I hope I could be of some help, LA.
I agree with you (Not just because you agreed with me). I think my RIR and my NHR are very good examples of each breed. No they may not be show quality but they represent the breed well. I also have Red Stars from Murray, They look totally different from my NHR and my RIR's. They have white flecks throughout their feathering and have lots of white on the end of their tails and wings, not like my NHR. I think she is a great representation of her breed. From both Meyer and Murray, to say there birds are "hatchery RIR or hatchery NHR" is incorrect. Those birds you are calling that are Red-sex linked hands down. For a well known hatchery to not have pure breeds but calling them that, they would lose business. Their stock my not be show quality, but they are good representations of what each breed is suppose to be. Just like my RIR and New Hampshire Red. They are both from a hatchery but there is no question as to what breed it is.
Here is a picture of my Red Star or what others call Red Sex Linked. I drew a circle around her. See the white flecks?
The dark red hen at the bottom left is my RIR and the barred are Barred Rocks. I also got White Rocks, a white wyandotte, and white Jersey Giants with this group. I'm knew to chickens, just one year in but I've learned alot and I can tell which breeds I have. I understand and know what basics to look for in each. If I questioned a breed I asked people on here. And most confirmed what I thought. But as far as my NHR and RIR they fit the bill for their breed.