Green Bay Packers: NFC North WR grades and rankings
1. Green Bay Packers
Jordy Nelson 2016 season was nothing short of magnificent in the way he returned to being one of the premiere players at his position after missing an entire year recovering from a torn ACL.
He gained 1,257 yards on 97 receptions and led the league with 14 touchdowns while also bailing his team out of some dire situations by coming down with contested catches even on balls thrown outside his frame.
The recipient of the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award was arguably Green Bay’s most consistent performer and saved the season with a memorable outing versus the Texans in Week 13.
In that game that the saw the Packers offense struggle for long stretches, Nelson fought through Houston’s tight coverage to come down with balls to extend drives along with scoring a 32-yard touchdown that helped put away the opponent in the second half.
The savvy wideout was a lifesaver for a hobbled Aaron Rodgers that day in constantly running back toward his quarterback and being on the receiving end of 118 of No. 12’s 209 passing yards.
The 32-year-old Nelson may be on the back end of his NFL career, but he has yet to show any signs of slippage and should have at least one more banner year ahead of him.
The younger Davante Adams wasn’t perfect in his third year in Packers News, but he did break out in a major way by more than doubling his yardage output from the year prior (448 versus 997) and trailed only Nelson in touchdowns catches (12).
No longer hampered by the ankle injuries of 2015, Adams gained the confidence of his quarterback, who looked his way early and often on plays inside the 10-yard line.
For the season, the emerging playmaker ranked third among all receivers on targets inside the 10, which frequently required him to win battles with defensive backs right up in his grill.
NFL.com’s Matt Harmon pointed out Adams’ effectiveness in this part of the field by highlighting his 69.6-perecent catch rate on targets where he had less than one-yard of separation.
The pride of Palo Alto, CA. isn’t immune from concentration lapses that cause him to drop easy targets, but Rodgers has the utmost faith in his ability to make plays on a variety of routes including slants, crossers and fades.
The chemistry between the two has bumped Randall Cobb down to No. 3 receiver status.
Cobb can still make clutch plays by converting underneath throws into first downs, but he doesn’t quite have the size or length to consistently pull off the same downfield exploits that Nelson and Adams are usually targeted on.
In addition, No. 18’s willingness to absorb hits across the middle puts him in danger of serious injury, as seen on numerous plays last year where Cobb was slow to get back on his feet.
Geronimo Allison is a long-limbed youngster that might not possess impressive straight-line speed, but has a knack of getting by defenders on longer routes with his deceptive long strides.
The second-year man not only has the upside to execute big plays, but he did a fine job of successfully carrying out routine assignments by consistently running to the right spot.
Jeff Janis will always be remembered for his postseason heroics versus the Cardinals two seasons ago, but he hasn’t made enough progress to merit an uptick in snaps.
Drops, penalties and missed assignments continue to plague the veteran who is entering his fourth-year of service.
The Packers front office loves wideouts with blazing speed and Trevor Davis certainly fits the bill. Last year’s fifth-round pick didn’t see much action as a receiver, but gave fans a taste of his abilities by stepping up in a Week-8 road meeting with the Atlanta Falcons.
In that contest, Davis turned on the jets and left multiple Falcons in the dust on a 55-yard punt return. On that same drive, he corralled a hard, low throw by Rodgers for a touchdown catch that temporarily put Green Bay up 21-14 in the midseason shootout.
DeAngelo Yancey and Malachi (pronounced MALI-KAI) Dupre are rookies drafted in the fifth and seventh rounds respectively.
Yancey is a physical competitor that can overpower defenders on hitches and comebacks, as well as come down with the ball on vertical throws in which he demonstrates outstanding tracking skills.
The former Purdue Boilermaker scored four touchdowns of 60-yards plus as a senior and has drawn comparisons to another Packers’ receiver of recent vintage, James Jones.
Dupre is a tall receiver that used his size to his advantage at LSU by going up and over people with notable leaping ability and body control.
Ranked by some as a top-10 prospect at his position early in the pre-draft process, the SEC import fell to the last round due to his issues in quickly coming out of his breaks and his struggles in gaining extra yards after the catch.
The 23-year-old Max McCaffrey is one to watch, as the unheralded 6-foot-2 weapon has 4.36 speed and the ability to return kicks.
He stood out in recent OTA practices by successfully catching deep shots during one-on-one drills versus defensive backs.
Michael Clark, Montay Crockett and Colby Pearson are practice-squad candidates.
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Clark is a 6-foot-5 1/2” former basketball player that’s as raw as green grass while Crockett possesses intriguing deep speed and return skills. Pearson was signed earlier the week and measures in at 6-feet with 4.5 speed, but there’s nothing remarkable about his college numbers.
Grade: A-