Team-by-Team Draft Recap: Green Bay Packers

Dan Meylor

adams

The Packers’ offense has been a goldmine for fantasy production over the last handful of seasons as long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy and their front office added more weapons to an already potent passing game in the draft.  Let’s take a close look at each one.

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Davante Adams, WR

Before we get started on Adams, let’s have a short history lesson.  Going into the 2014 NFL Draft, Packers general manager Ted Thompson had taken three wide receivers in the second round of drafts over the previous eight years.  Those three wide outs were Greg Jennings in 2006 out of Western Michigan, Jordy Nelson in 2008 from Kansas State and Randall Cobb in 2011 out of Kentucky.  Most would say that’s a pretty impressive string of second round success at one position.  If we look at the third round of Packers drafts over that time period, we find one other receiver – James Jones in 2007 out of San Jose State.

Much like Jennings (6’0, 195 pounds), Jones (6’1, 210) and Nelson (6’3, 215), Adams fits in the mold of receivers Thompson has brought to Green Bay.  He’s 6’1, 210 pounds and doesn’t hail from a big-time college program (Fresno State).

Of course none of this means Adams will have a successful career with the Packers or for anybody willing to take him in rookie drafts. However, I think it’s fair to say dynasty owners should trust Thompson’s eye for wide receiver talent towards the top of NFL drafts and it’s certainly worth thinking about when pondering Adams’ value in dynasty leagues.

On the field, the most impressive part about Adams’ game is his hands. Over his two seasons in Fresno since redshirting his freshman year, Adams made countless highlight fingertip catches and one-handed grabs.  He’s a natural ball catcher who extends his arms and catches the ball away from his body.  He also displayed the unique skill of being able to catch the ball at its highest point, constantly making contested catches on jump balls. His 39 ½ inch vertical was among the best at the combine.

Adams excelled in the red zone while in college (38 touchdowns in 26 games) and was at his best running short to intermediate routes in Fresno State’s quick passing attack.  In Green Bay, he’ll be asked to do many of the same things with Rodgers.

Although he doesn’t possess blazing speed (he posted a 4.56-second 40 time at the combine) and still needs refinement running the entire route tree, Adams fits perfectly into what the Packers do on offense.  At the very least, he should immediately split time with Jarrett Boykin in three-receiver sets, which the Packers run a majority of the time.

Overall, Adams has the potential to post the same type of numbers as those we’ve become accustomed to from Jennings and Nelson in Green Bay’s pass happy offense.  He has low-end WR1 potential and should be taken in the middle of the first round of rookie drafts.

Richard Rodgers, TE

I have to admit I’d never seen Rodgers play until after his name was called during the draft.  After seeing him land in one of the premier destinations for a rookie tight end, I immediately looked for the film.

The first thing I noticed when watching Rodgers is how awkward he looks on the field, much like what you see when a young basketball player hits a growth spurt and hasn’t figured out how to run smoothly.  Instead of using his length (6’4, 255 pounds) to glide when running, he looks choppy and uncomfortable.

Once I got past his awkwardness though, I did see some positives.  He’s a natural pass catcher with a big frame and looks like an above average route runner.  He’s not the same kind of athlete (he posted a 4.87 second 40 time and only a 31 ½ inch vertical at the combine) as the player he’s going to try to replace, Jermichael Finley, so he won’t be asked to play out of the slot or sent down the seem to stretch the field.  Most likely, he’ll be used as a traditional in-line tight end as a short to intermediate target that moves the chains.  Because of his size and hands, he has the potential to develop into a red zone threat, but his upside lies in the high TE2 range, much like Heath Miller, for fantasy owners.

Before being selected by the Packers, Rodgers wasn’t draftable in most dynasty leagues.  Due to where he ended up, he should be on the radar of dynasty owners, but only late in rookie drafts or as a free agent addition in deep or tight end premium leagues at his point.

Corey Linsley, C

Drafting a center usually doesn’t have fantasy implications but in this case, it may.  Linsley, who started 26 games at Ohio State, was selected in the fifth round by Green Bay to compete with J.C. Tretter for the starting job for the Packers, who lost Evan Dietrich-Smith in free agency.  Dietrich-Smith is known as a better pass blocker than run blocker.  Whether Linsley or Tretter win the starting job in camp, they’re both known more for their run blocking so a change at the anchor position of the Packers’ offensive line could be positive news for Eddie Lacy and the rest of the tailbacks in Titletown.

Jared Abbrederis, WR

If you look only at Abbrederis’ physical stature and the numbers he put up at the combine, you probably would wonder to yourself why the Packers invested a fifth round draft choice into him.  If you watched him torch the Broncos’ number one draft pick Bradley Roby this past September to the tune of 10 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown, you may wonder why he lasted that long.

Abbrederis is an extremely hard worker with an incredible work ethic.  He started his career at Wisconsin as a walk-on and scout team quarterback and didn’t earn a scholarship until his redshirt sophomore year.  On top of his work ethic, he’s also very tough and has proven to be quite durable.  In 2011, he played nearly the entire season on a broken left foot and still posted 55 catches for 933 yards and eight touchdowns.

As a receiver, Abbrederis’ best traits are his route running and hands.  He’s at his best when lined up outside the numbers and running outs, drags, slants or comebacks – which are a staple of the X receiver in the Packers’ offense.  Along with his skills as a receiver, he’s also an impressive kick and punt returner and has experience covering kicks which should help him lock down a spot on Green Bay’s roster as a rookie.

Although it’s true Abbrederis doesn’t possess ideal size (6’1, 195 pounds), speed (4.50 second 40-yard dash), strength (only four reps at 225 pounds) or leaping ability (30.5 inch vertical), he has the football intelligence of a quarterback and an incredible work ethic to go along with his route running skills and reliable hands.

If it weren’t for the Packers’ depth at the position, I’d say Abbrederis has a bright future as a third or fourth receiver for the Packers and the potential to become a regular target of Aaron Rodgers.  As it is, only dynasty owners who play in deep enough leagues to stash a player for at least a couple years should consider drafting Abbrederis and even then, only with a late draft choice.  I firmly believe he has the upside of a number two NFL receiver, but his path to regular playing time in Green Bay has many roadblocks.

Jeff Janis, WR

If Abbrederis has an uphill climb to see playing time, the receiver drafted two rounds later probably has a mountain to hike.

The Packers chose Janis in the seventh round out of Saginaw Valley State.  He posted impressive numbers while playing for the Cardinals, tallying 4,305 career receiving yards and 46 touchdowns in four seasons at SVSU.

Janis has a great work ethic and impressive football smarts.  He dazzled scouts at the scouting combine – posting a 4.42 second 40-yard dash, 20 reps on the bench press and a 37.5 inch vertical jump but he has inconsistent hands and isn’t an aggressive pass catcher in traffic, often choosing to let the ball get to him rather than using his impressive athletic ability to go get it. The biggest potential pitfall for Janis may be the enormous jump in competition he faces coming out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In order to make the team, Janis will likely have to outplay Abbrederis or have injury strike another receiver in training camp.  While he certainly has upside and is worth monitoring as a dynasty owner, Janis could very well be looking at being a practice squad player or trying to make another roster after training camp.  He’s not worth selecting in rookie drafts, except in the absolute deepest of leagues.

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dan meylor