Green Bay Packers Add New Element to Offense w/ Amari Rodgers

Last season the Green Bay Packers had the top-scoring offense in football and ranked first by Football Outsider’s DVOA metric. So to say that they absolutely needed to add to this side of the ball is a little hyperbolic.

However, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t look for ways to get better either.

As good as this unit was in 2020, what they didn’t consistently have was a true slot receiver or a gadget player. This role was going to be filled by Tyler Ervin, but he battled injuries for much of the season, and Tavon Austin wasn’t much of a factor.

Now, to Matt LaFleur and the offense’s credit, this really didn’t slow them down one bit. Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, and Equanimeous St. Brown were all utilized in those capacities. This is why I wouldn’t categorize adding someone of that ilk as a must–the offense can function just fine without it.

With that said, I think it’s a huge plus that they did make that addition. Third-round pick Amari Rodgers from Clemson will add an element to this already potent offense that was missing during the first two years of LaFleur’s tenure.

Rodgers will provide a true slot presence, something that Green Bay hasn’t really had since the days of Randall Cobb—which coincidentally enough, is a player that Rodgers has been compared to. Although it’s worth noting that Rodgers is about 20 pounds heavier, weighing in at 212 at his Pro-Day.

Over his final two seasons at Clemson, about 88 percent of Rodgers’ snaps came from the slot, with 2020 being his breakout season. On 99 targets, Rodgers totaled 1,020 yards at 13.7 yards per catch with seven touchdowns and an impressive catch rate of nearly 78 percent. He was also a monster after the catch, averaging 8.0 yards after each reception.

In addition to his presence in the slot, Rodgers will also be utilized heavily as the motion man and on designed touches. This past season at Clemson, 70 of his 99 targets came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Pretty much just find ways to get Rodges the ball in space and let him do the rest. And this is, of course, something that LaFleur is very good at.

Now for more on Rodgers’ game and what he will bring to the Green Bay Packers, here is what several pre-draft reports have to say:

Joe Marino – The Draft Network

"“Rodgers is a slot receiver that is built like a running back. He thrived with manufactured touches and then using his physicality, burst, vision, and decisiveness to work after the catch. As his production increased as a senior, so did his role in the offense. 2020 saw Rodgers produce more down the field in addition to his work in the short to intermediate areas of the field. He has reliable hands, plays a physical brand of football, and is a good athlete.When it comes to identifying areas of growth for Rodgers, developing his route tree and finding more consistency when challenged at the catch point stand out. Rodgers lacks length and struggles to extend his catch radius which creates some limitations. Rodgers has a chance to be a featured slot receiver in the NFL for an offense predicated on timing.”"

Lance Zierlein – NFL.com

"“Compact slot target who thrived at Clemson with his ability to create chunk plays out of short catch-and-runs and take the top off defenses with his speed. Rodgers has a running back’s stout lower body, providing power and balance to break tackles and rumble through contact with the ball in his hands.His ball skills are pretty good, but he can go from magnificent catch to focus drop in a single drive. Rodgers uses speed alterations inside the route and a sudden burst to top speed to create deep separation from coverage. He’s not as effective at separating underneath against tight man coverage and will need to prove himself in that regard.”"

Pro Football Focus ($$)

"“Without Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross this season, Rodgers took a massive step forward for theTigers. His role changed from almost an entirely underneath guy early in his career to someoneseeing more downfield targets this past season. Still, Rodgers is firmly a slot receiver at the NFL level. Teams may even see him as a possible running back convert with his size (5-foot-10, 210 pounds) and natural running ability (17 broken tackles on 77 catches this year). As purely a receiver, he hasn’t shown enough as a separator to be coveted as a No. 1 or No. 2 in your offense.”"

From a fit standpoint in this LaFleur offense, Rodgers is tailormade and will provide LaFleur with a weapon that he didn’t have a season ago. From Day 1, Rodgers will make an impact on offense as well as special teams as a return man, where he has ample experience.

There’s a reason that LaFleur had such a big grin on his face when this selection was made.