Green Bay Packers WR Romeo Doubs Making Strong First Impression
By Paul Bretl
I’ll say the same thing I said in a recent article about Green Bay Packers safety Shawn Davis; OTAs don’t mean a lot, but they aren’t meaningless either, and first impressions matter.
And when it comes to first impressions, rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs is already leaving his mark with the Green Bay Packers coaching staff.
Following the draft, GM Brian Gutekunst would call Doubs one of the more “polished” prospects because of the experience he had at Nevada.
With the Wolfpack, Doubs appeared in 45 games over four seasons with a whopping 339 career targets, including 110 during his final season, while averaging 14.9 yards per catch with 26 touchdowns.
On this Green Bay Packers team, Doubs biggest initial impact could come as a deep threat. During the 2020 season with Nevada, Doubs averaged nearly 18 yards per catch and finished third among all college receivers in deep receiving yards per PFF ($$).
Doubs could also help solve the Packers’ punt return woes as he logged 12.4 yards per return in college with a touchdown on 37 attempts.
However, with some continued refinement, he can certainly become much more than just a deep threat, and special teams help. He was also targeted heavily in the other levels of the field in 2021, with 31 targets in the 10 to 19-yard range, 40 targets from zero to nine yards, and 14 from behind the line of scrimmage.
In a recent addition of the Rock Report with Larry McCarren, he discussed the early impact that Doubs is having at OTAs.
"“As a Packer, Doubs has proven to be not only fast but also capable of the tough and sometimes spectacular catch. He’s also got plenty of the right stuff when it comes to attitude.”"
That “spectacular catch” that McCarren was referring to, as described by Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, was a back shoulder grab by Doubs down the left sideline on a pass from Kurt Benkert on what was a blustery Tuesday practice session.
Ultimately, how much playing time Doubs sees early on is largely going to be dependent upon how he performs during training camp and the preseason, but it never hurts to get off to a good start–even in padless OTA practices.
The next step for Doubs is to continue learning the ins and outs of the playbook and to begin building a rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during mandatory minicamp, which will take place next week.
As we all know, a few of the best ways for Doubs to gain Rodgers’ trust is to be familiar with Matt LaFleur’s offense, to consistently be in the right spot, and to make plays when the ball is coming his way.
"“I got to continue to just train myself and just keep continuing to be consistent in what I do, so I don’t get so overwhelmed in what I do, I just like to stay flat-line and base-line and make sure I get whatever work that there is I can do,” Doubs told McCarren."