Green Bay Packers: 3 Gadget Wide Receiver Prospects
By Kenny Jilek
Devin Duvernay – Texas
Devin Duvernay is the best pure receiver of any of these three guys and has the most potential to develop into a staple of this offense as a slot receiver. He has the best hands and runs the most crisp routes of these three receivers as well.
Duvernay is also the best as a deep threat. All offseason, there has been talk about getting a guy to take the top off of the defense. Those manifested themselves every way from high tier free agents like Robby Anderson to speedsters in any round of the draft. Duvernay also has great functional leaping ability and strength to win jump balls, even with his 5’11” stature.
He also uses that strength well in his run after the catch ability. Many guys can use their quickness and evasiveness to make guys miss after the catch, and Duvernay can do that as well, but he can also power through arm tackles and make tacklers bounce off him to get tough extra yards.
As a pure speed guy, he can excel as he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine. That is what he functioned as for most of his college career but upped his receiving production in a big way in his senior season. After catching only 70 passes in his first three years, he had 106 receptions last season for 1386 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also started to be used in the run game with 10 rushing attempts after having just one the year before. He also threw two passes, both back to the quarterback.
Duvernay’s floor is a quick, speedy gadget guy who can turn on the burners and beat a defense deep once in a while but won’t be a consistent contributor. I believe that his ceiling is being an established slot receiver who could catch over 50 passes each year and give Aaron Rodgers a great target and make his money running wild after the catch.