Green Bay Packers: Predictions for the wide receiver battle

Coming out of the draft, the Green Bay Packers now have eight receivers with a realistic chance to make the roster. There will be stiff competition for the final spots, and Mike McCarthy will have some tough calls on who to keep around. 

For the Green Bay Packers, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison, Jeff Janis, and Trevor Davis were the main wideouts during the 2016 campaign.

That’s a pretty solid group of guys right there. Despite that, Ted Thompson added more to the position through the draft. He brought in DeAngelo Yancey and Malachi Dupre, who were both very productive college players.

This leaves the wide receiver position in an absolute log jam. Up to six guys will make the roster, which leaves two guys being the odd men out.

Locks

It takes absolutely no analysis at all to figure out who the locks will be. Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams have no chance of being cut.

Nelson had a remarkable season coming back from an ACL injury. He caught 97 passes for 14 touchdowns and looked as good as ever. Father time hasn’t caught up with Jordy yet, so he should be in line for another pro bowl caliber season.

Davante Adams also had an excellent 2016 campaign. He caught 75 passes for 12 Touchdowns. His 2016 season was a night and day difference from his 2015 season.

Even though he still had some drops, Adams took over games at times and gave Aaron Rodgers another huge target. Between Adams and Nelson, the Packers are in good shape with their top two receivers.

Probably a lock

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Randall Cobb shouldn’t be a lock to make this football team. However, a lot of things would have to go against him for him not to make the team.

Cobbs stats have plummeted the past three seasons. He’s gone down in catches, yards, touchdowns, and yards per game since 2014. He also missed three games because of injury last season.

No player on the Green Bay Packers could use a bounceback season more than Cobb.

When Cobb is getting open from the slot, the Packers offense is a different beast. According to PFF, Cobb was the only wideout to see 50 targets without dropping a pass.

Now, the only way Cobb doesn’t make the roster is if one of the younger guys like Allison steps up. I think Cobb would also have to get hurt again.

He has probably a 97% chance to make the roster, but Randall Cobb is not a lock. He needs a big season.

Final Spots

Predicting the Green Bay Packers final couple of wide out spots is exciting. There’s some real talent making a push for the final spots. These final guys will also see quite a bit of field time and will probably make a solid impact.

Out of Allison, Yancey, Janis, Davis and Dupre, the guy with the best chance to make the roster is 100%, Geronimo Allison. He might even be considered a lock to the roster.

In ten 2016 games, Allison caught 12 balls for 202 yards and 2 TDS. Him and Aaron Rodgers seemed to jell very well, and that bodes well for his chances to make the roster.

Jeff Janis and Trevor Davis didn’t see as much field time in 2016, and could easily be in trouble. Janis just has been good on special teams, but not so much at wideout. Trevor Davis didn’t amount to much and only caught three passes for a touchdown in 2016.

If you look back at early 2017 mock drafts, some had Malachi Dupre as a first round pick. The Packers got him in the 7th round. He’s 6’2 and ran a 4.52 40 at the combine.

Janis is what he is at this point, and he probably won’t improve much more as a wideout. Because Davis is only coming into his second year, he has time to improve and build a rapport with Rodgers.

If you look back at early 2017 mock drafts, some had Malachi Dupre as a first round pick. The Packers got him in the 7th round. He’s 6’2 and ran a 4.52 40 at the combine.

He also suffered through some horrendous quarterback play at LSU, as they flipped struggling quarterbacks and coaches during the 2016 season. Despite that, he still caught 41 passes for nearly 600 yards.

DeAngelo Yancey, the 5th round pick for the Green Bay Packers, played all four years with some terrible Purdue teams. Despite that, he still had a ton of success.

He caught ten touchdowns on 49 receptions in 2016 and finished his career with 141 catches for 2344 yards, and 20TDS. That’s not bad considering he played for one of the worst teams in the Big Ten.

When it comes down to final cuts, Mike McCarthy is going to have some tough calls to make. He has four solid wide out options, and the last two spots will be filled by one of his younger players.

He does have the advantage of having three startable tight ends, so he can afford to keep his last two wideouts on the bench, and have them learn more.

For that reason, I think Janis is the first one to go. They can find special teams help from other guys on the roster. From there, it will be whoever jells with Rodgers the best and learns the playbook.

Malachi Dupre played slot and outside at LSU, and because of that, I think he makes the roster.

The last spot will come down to Yancey and Davis. Honestly, it’s a toss up. Yancey was a very productive college player who has a chance to be a downfield threat. Davis does have a year under his belt with the offense and Rodgers.

It’s a toss up, but whoever wins the special teams battle will probably get this last spot. I also don’t think the Packers give up on Davis’s elite speed just yet. Yancey could find himself on the Packers practice squad.

PREDICTION-Nelson, Adams, Cobb, Allison, Dupre, Davis