Packer Wide Receivers - The Good, The Bad, and the Plenty!

Plenty of Wide Receivers!  How about 10 wide receivers and the Pack will keep 5 or 6.

The ten wide receivers are:
Randall Cobb
Jordy Nelson
Jarrett Boykin
Chris Harper
Kevin Dorsey
Myles White
Alex Gillette
Davante Adams
Jared Abbrederis
Jeff Janis

Let's begin with the draft picks first:
Round-Name-College-Hgt-Wgt
2 - Davante Adams   Fresno St.   6'1" - 212 lbs
5b - Jared Abbrederis   Wisconsin   6'1" - 195 lbs
7 - Jeff Janis   Saginaw Valley St.   6'3" - 219 lbs

Davante Adams, a second round pick - what are the scouts saying?

STRENGTHS

 Has a rangy build with good body length and secure hands to palm the ball and make difficult one-handed grabs. Tracks and adjusts to the ball very well downfield. Extends outside his frame and plucks the ball out of the air. Natural hands-catcher. Terrific athlete with good leaping ability and anticipation to properly time jumps and highpoint the ball. Wins jumpballs in the red zone and shows very good hand-eye coordination to take the ball away from defenders. Exceptional production. Has a 39 1/2-inch vertical jump.

Now, will that result in a successful NFL career?  "Natural hands", and "good leaping ability", and "tracks ball".  All great wide receiver traits!  Time will tell!  Other second round picks from the past - Jordy Nelson!

Jared Abbrederis, a fifth round pick AND Wisconsin player!
Again, let's go with the NFL scouts:

STRENGTHS

 Uses his hands well to swat away press. Stems his routes. Sells his patterns. Nice hands. Good field and boundary awareness. Gives effort to engage and shield cornerbacks as a blocker. Outstanding football intelligence -- like a quarterback on the outside. Productive three-year starter. Mature and humble. Hardworking and coachable. Carved up Ohio State CB Bradley Roby to the tune of 10-207-1

This demonstrates sound qualities, "Nice hands", and "mature & humble", and "hard working", and blocker - "engage & shield"  Nice traits, but not much about catching & running with the football.

Jeff Janis, a seventh round pick.

STRENGTHS

 Exceptional measurables and leaping ability -- will test through the roof. Accelerates into routes quickly and can separate vertically and uncover underneath working short-to-intermediate zones. Terrific production -- carves up lesser competition and creates chunk plays. Good red-zone target. Exceptional work ethic. Outstanding football character. Very passionate about the game. Has a 37 1/2-inch vertical jump, posted a 3.98-second 20-yard shuttle (fourth-best among receivers) and a 6.64-second 3-cone time.

Now, how about, "can separate vertically" Like That!  And, has tested well - "37 1/2 vertical", and 3.98 20 yd shuttle, and 6.64 3 cone time!  Could be the sleeper in the draft!  Remember any other Packers drafted in the lower rounds?  Donald Driver - Round seven!

Last years players:
Jordy Nelson, talented, speed, great hands, great leader, and great person!  A VERY reliable target for Rogers!  15th Rank on the NFL website.

Randall Cobb.  Stay healthy!  Rookie season - great!  NFL Rank - 19th.  Versatile!  Wide Receiver, speed & moves, returning kicks a game breaker, plays out of the back field, Cobb is a triple threat! One of the BEST in the league!

Jarrett Boykin.  Boykin had a nice year starting at the receiver position!  Good hands, made some acrobatic catches!  Complements Cobb & Nelson.  Has nice size at 6'2" & 218 lbs.  49 receptions, 681 yards, and 3 TD's!  Has earned his place on the roster, but will be pushed!!

Chris Harper - Year 2 - 6'1" - 228 lbs. - Kansas State
During spring OTA's there was a lot of good comments about Harper!  Apparently someone is ready to make a move to make this team.  His size and athletic ability may turn some heads.  Needs to be impressive, may be his last year to make the team!

Kevin Dorsey - Year 2 - 6'1" - 207 lbs. - Maryland
Last year was a wash out, injured for the year.  A long shot to make the team!  Does have the speed to keep him in the conversation!

Myles White - Year 2 - 6' - 182 lbs. - Louisiana Tech
One of the over achievers of the wide receivers.  4.42 in the 40 yard dash keeps him in the discussion!
As an ex-track coach, loved this story:

At the 2007 AAU Junior Olympics, White raced next to the kid ranked first in the nation, Robert Griffin III.

"That didn't go so well," White said. "I'm thinking, 'I have to get out on him.' I remember getting over the first hurdle. I get to the second hurdle, and I see him just whiz past me."

OK, so White isn't RGIII-fast. But he is a burner. And even though they waited until pick No. 216 to address the position, the Green Bay Packers clearly sought speed at wide receiver. White, Grand Valley State's Charles Johnson (4.40) and Maryland's Kevin Dorsey (4.47) also could be potential deep threats. All three have a legitimate shot at making the roster.

Alex Gillette
Another versitile receiver.  Found another interesting story:
Some digging on Gillett shows that he played quarterback for the Eagles, but that he was a versatile threat with multiple offensive talents. He was not the primary starter throughout the 2012 season, and in fact switched to wideout midway through the year when he lost the starting job. His stat line for the season is as follows, according to the Eastern Michigan website:
A long shot to make 53 roster!

My early predictions for the 53 man roster
Randall Cobb
Jordy Nelson
Jarrett Boykin
Davante Adams
Jared Abbrederis
Practice Squad - Jeff Janis

Cuts
Chris Harper
Kevin Dorsey
Myles White
Alex Gillette