3rd Round - Amari Rodgers

[skones]

He plays faster than his 4.5 I'll say that. Speaks to his route running.

[MoMM]

-returned EVERYONE

Not EVERYONE, but that's OK, it was almost impossible to have everyone back.

[jimmybones]

Reminds me of a young Randall Cobb in that he doesn't have the top end straight line speed but he's super shifty, good route runner, good returner. And he'll have a coach that's better at using a gadgety guy than McCarthy. He essentially upgrades Ervin's gadget stuff while adding a legit slot guy.

This is a team that can win a super bowl, they may not have handled the drafting of Love and massaging of Rodger's ego perfectly, but they surely have put a team around him that can be dangerous.

[zmanishere11]

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Thank you sweet baby jesus we have a kick returner.

Love this guy and this pick.

[chonestown]

Look, I only know what I see from the highlights, but once he gets ahead of somebody he's gone and lengthens the gap. That's what we in the biz* call "football speed."

*in which biz = shtposting

[WeekapaugGroove]

He wasn’t on my radar but definitely the type of player I think we need. Will be interesting to see if he is more Cobb or Ervin in terms of how we use him


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I would guess he takes over all the Ervin stuff like the jet sweeps but then also gets used as a little more of a traditional slot on obvious passing downs. At his size I doubt they view him as a true WR.

Watching some highlights and this dude looks like he could be a ton of fun to have on the O.

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[HaroldinGMinor]

So weird question, but does the NFL have a rule that two guys can't have the same name on their jersey? If ARod comes back does he have to have Aa Rodgers on his jersey and this cat have Am Rodgers on his?

[Mags FTW]

So weird question, but does the NFL have a rule that two guys can't have the same name on their jersey? If ARod comes back does he have to have Aa Rodgers on his jersey and his cat have Am Rodgers on his?

No. When Richard Rodgers was here, they just wore their last names.

[emunney]

I hope this dude's athletic numbers were temporarily depressed by coming back from an ACL super fast and not permanently depressed by coming back from an ACL super fast. That said certainly room for a crafty hands catcher. Not concerned by the 40 time, but the splits and agility #s are very bad for a WR, particularly a short WR.

[Mags FTW]

Look, I only know what I see from the highlights, but once he gets ahead of somebody he's gone and lengthens the gap. That's what we in the biz* call "football speed."

*in which biz = shtposting

Agreed. When he was drafted I watched this vid and noticed he was never caught from behind once. Particularly in the clip of the Quick Out vs. Syracuse. He just pulls away from everybody. Maybe his stronger lower body allows him to carry his pads better?

Watch on YouTube

[MickeyDavis]

AFC scout: “He impressed me a lot at the Senior Bowl. Slot. He’s a second-round pick. He has a really high floor and a lower ceiling. He reminded me of Christian Kirk. That’s kind of what he is, on and off the field. He’s a really good kid. Really mature, really smart. He’s not going to be Tyreek Hill. He doesn’t have that type of athletic ability. Some people will kind of knock him down for that because he’s not really big. He’s not freaky fast, but he’s a good football player. Whatever he’s going to be, he’ll be that pretty early in his rookie year. I think it’s a good investment, especially at that position, because so many of them fail for reasons outside of ability.”

AFC scout: “He’s a good college player who was quicker than fast and displayed no explosion. He also returned punts. Lot of fair catches. Too much East-West (running). Not special. Fourth or fifth round.”

NFC scout: “I’d compare him to Randall Cobb. He’s that type of slot receiver. Not great, great speed but exceptional quickness. He’s tough and confident. He’s the son of a coach.”

NFC scout: “I don’t know why he’s not being talked about more. This guy’s just as good as those Alabama creation guys. He’s built like a running back. He’s just a good football player. He’s explosive, sudden, fast. He separates easy at any level. He’s a little inconsistent with his hands. He seems to have natural hands. He makes some big-time plays, then he’s got a lot of concentration drops. He’s strong. He has run after the catch. He’s really good. He’s talented. Plays faster than that (4.51).”

AFC scout: “He’s a really good player. He’ll be a solid pro. He’s not the biggest. He’s not the fastest. But he’s a really good athlete. He’s got excellent quickness. Really natural ball skills. His instincts are top-flight. Really knows how to play the game. He’s a win-with starting slot receiver.”

NFC scout: “The people there were blown away by the work he put in during his rehab and how quickly he made it back on the field. Football junkie. Brings great energy in the building.”

AFC special-teams coordinator: “He doesn’t have a great deal of production as a punt returner. He catches the ball and makes as good decisions as anybody. He makes great decisions. I just don’t think he has explosive speed. He’s a safe catch. He’s going to get you 7, 8, 9, 10 yards and you’re going to have the ball when the play’s over with, which is a big deal.”

[M-C-G]

PFN write up

Positives

Slightly undersized receiver who also doubles as a return specialist. Quickly releases off the line, fires into routes, and stays low on exit. Displays terrific quickness in and out of breaks and positions himself to make the reception. Extends his hands to snatch the ball out of the air and lays out to make the difficult catch. Reliable, possesses terrific eye/hand coordination, and nicely adjusts to the errant throw. Follows the quarterback across the field and finds the soft spot in the defense. Plays bigger than his size and fights to come away with the difficult grab in a crowd. Effective returning punts.

Negatives

Easily taken down in the open field by a single defender. Lack of height is a hindrance, especially trying to grab high throws. Plays to one speed and lacks a deep burst.

Analysis

Rodgers was a terrific receiver for Clemson both coming off the bench and as a starter. He comes with average physical dimensions but nicely projects as a slot wideout who can also return punts.

[HKPackFan]

I like that he's a football player. He's got game speed, seems to have a good football IQ. Should do well in this offense.

[M-C-G]

I like that he's a football player. He's got game speed, seems to have a good football IQ. Should do well in this offense.

A couple of the guys drafted were all highlighted for either their personality, energy or high IQ. Looks like we are back to drafting 'packer people'

I tried really hard this year not to have an immediate reaction to any picks. This guy was not on my radar in any way, frankly because I figured if we didn't draft Toney or Moore, we would probably wait til much later in the draft for an Ervin type. That leads me to believe they think he has more than just Ervin and will get some slot work too.

I'm still trying to reconcile how he appears to pull away from so many people but is 'just' a 4.5 guy. Leads me to think, there is more juice, quickness and speed to be had as he gets further away from that knee injury.

If this guy is close to Cobb, this will be a fantastic pick. If you can have Adams help him with the footwork (though I am not sure every WR can get off the line the way Adams does) it could really round out his game.

Overall, other than Slaton none of the guys picked were the guys I would have picked, and none of the positions we took were in the rounds that I would have taken that position, but weirdly other than a big WR they checked every box for the type of player I wanted to get out of this draft. It's oddly satisfying and dissatisfying.

[HaroldinGMinor]

This does not look like a 4.5 guy

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[Ron Swanson]

Excited to see what he can do in this offense. Davante/MVS/BOB with Amari and Jones motioning out of the backfield are gonna be some fun formations to run.

[stillgotgame]

I would have been happy with him in the 2nd, so I'm thrilled we landed him in the 3rd.

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Steve Smith is his idol, who he models his game after. Great comp.
I’m excited we drafted a “football player” rather than just stick to physical metrics. He looks & sounds like he really gets it.
On the numbers side, he’s similar to Julian Edelman. Similar size & speed, Julian was a little quicker, Amari is a little stronger. I think that’s a good comp, or at least a wishful one. Both are big football junkies too.

[Ill-yasova]

Look, I only know what I see from the highlights, but once he gets ahead of somebody he's gone and lengthens the gap. That's what we in the biz* call "football speed."

*in which biz = shtposting

Agreed. When he was drafted I watched this vid and noticed he was never caught from behind once. Particularly in the clip of the Quick Out vs. Syracuse. He just pulls away from everybody. Maybe his stronger lower body allows him to carry his pads better?

Watch on YouTube

The one against FSU @2:10 was the most impressive for me. He broke a tackle and still got back to top speed fast enough to pull away from a few defenders. This is easily the guy I’m most excited about in this draft.