Packers Receivers

The Green Bay Packers have lost starting caliber receivers in each of the past two season. Greg Jennings left for the Minnesota Vikings last offseason. James Jones left for the Oakland Raiders this offseason. It looks like the Packers grow less fond of their pass catchers as they approach 30 years of age. Jennings and Jones are still significant losses but the Packers pass offense doesn't seem to skip a beat. They just reload. Having Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in place is a terrific start. An even better start is having Aaron Rodgers throwing passes to the receivers. Rodgers is in the small group of quarterbacks that have the accuracy and ball placement to make nearly any receiver an effective receiver. Nelson and Cobb aren't just any receivers. Prior to the draft the Packer receiver depth chart looked something like this:

Jordy Nelson
Randall Cobb
Jarrett Boykin
Chris Harper
Myles White
Kevin Dorsey
Alex Gillett

Nelson is one of the most skilled receivers in the league. Cobb is one of the most versatile. Despite making the playoffs, last season was a frustrating season for the Packers. That was mostly due to the loss of Rodgers for more than a month with a broken collarbone. Cobb missed more than two months with a fractured tibia. Both losses led to increased playing time and expectations for Boykin. He was solid. Playing with quarterbacks other than Rodgers, he caught five passes, or more, five times. He had yardage totals of 112, 91, 60, 83, and 54 in those games. Those are nice totals for a player thought to be a role player. At 6'2" and nearly 220 lbs, Boykin is a big receiver. If the Packer had done nothing with the receiver position in the draft, Rodgers could make this group work. Unfortunately for the Packers opponents they did quite a bit with the position in the draft.

2. Davante Adams  Fresno St.
5. Jason Abbrederis  Wisconsin
7. Jeff Janis  Saginaw Valley St.

The worst thing about the Packers selection of the the above receivers is that all three could develop into impact receivers. They are all talented. They all offer something different. With Rodgers throwing to them, they have very bright futures. In any other draft, Adams is a likely first round selection. In this draft, he was selected in the second. He played in the pass-happy, quick-passing Fresno St. offense led by Derek Carr. Through Brett Favre and now with Rodgers, the Packers have routinely thrashed opponents, especially the Vikings, with quick-hitting slants. I can see Adams doing this for the next ten years. Or, until they let him walk in free agency as he nears 30 years of age. Abbrederis was one of my favorite receivers in this draft. A smart, hard-working football player. I've heard a couple of the top corners in the draft mention Abbrederis as their most difficult receiver to cover. Going into the draft, I never would have guessed that Janis would have been available in the seventh round. I wouldn't have been too surprised if he had been selected on the second day. Maybe he dropped due to playing at tiny Saginaw Valley St. He's got skills. Skills that can't be taught.

Anything can happen between now and September but I can see the Green Bay Packers going into the season with the following wide receiver group:

Jordy Nelson
Randall Cobb
Jarrett Boykin
Davante Adams
Jason Abbrederis
Jeff Janis

Yikes.

This may interest only me but the Packers have recently shown a remarkable tendency to draft receivers in the second round.

2006 Greg Jennings
2008 Jordy Nelson
2011 Randall Cobb
2014 Davante Adams

When the Packers are thinking receiver it looks like they've had success at finding one in the second round.