Packers: Promising start for young receivers in preseason

The Green Bay Packers’ first game of preseason ended with a victory, but it was the promising start of the team’s young receivers that has people talking.

Davante Adams showed on the first drive he is ready for the season. He had two catches for 57 yards, including a 48-yard reception. The preseason started right for the Packers‘ new number one receiver. That was all anyone needed to see and Adams sat for the rest of the game, letting the young guys take their turn.

When it was all said and done, Green Bay’s young quartet of receivers accounted for 15 catches and 265 yards. Not too shabby.

Leading the way was Marquez Valdes-Scantling with five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Valdes-Scantling showed off his speed on a 51-yard bomb and made a tough contested catch for a touchdown in his sizzling debut. He displayed good hands, catching many of the passes away from his body, and showed he has the speed the Packers have been lacking in their passing attack.

As good as Valdes-Scantling’s 51-yard reception was, his most impressive catch on the night came on his touchdown reception. On the play, Valdes-Scantling had a defender draped all over him as he hauled in the catch and managed to get both feet down in the end zone.

Not far behind Valdes-Scantling was training camp stand-out Jake Kumerow. Kumerow ended his night with three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. He showed the route-running and steady hands that have made him a favorite of Aaron Rodgers so far in camp. Kumerow’s best play was beating his man on a vertical route for a 52-yard touchdown that sealed the game, adding on to an already strong showing for his bid for a roster spot.

Also getting his due was Equanimeous St. Brown. St Brown added four receptions for 61 yards. The highlight of his night was a 28-yard catch, the type of play Packers fans have grown accustomed to seeing Jordy Nelson make time after time.

St. Brown ran a deep in-breaking route and caught the ball 17 yards downfield. What St. Brown did next is what made the play Jordy-esque. After he caught the ball, he made a quick pivot in the opposite direction of his momentum and picked up another 11 yards. Big gain on a nice catch-and-run.

If not for a few errant throws and big drops, the night could have been even bigger.

Kumerow could have added to his already big night if not for an over-throw by Tim Boyle late in the fourth quarter. Valdes-Scantling also had some passes thrown his way that were off the mark and could have accounted for big gains.

As for the drop, that brings us to J’Mon Moore.

His three receptions for 27 was less than spectacular, but all was not lost on his night. Even though Moore had a big drop for what could have been a 65-yard touchdown, he still had a nice debut.

One play in particular that stands out was a simple nine-yard catch. Early in the fourth quarter, Moore used his big body to shield the defender and make the catch. While that play may not seem like a big deal, it is the type of play veterans usually make and rookies don’t.

On this type of play it is more common than not for the rookie to allow the defender to play through him and drop the ball on contact or have it knocked away. Moore did neither of these things. Instead, he used his size to box-out the defender and make the catch despite absorbing contact.

Yes, Moore will be expected to make the type of catch he dropped, but what shouldn’t be lost is the catch he made.

Of course, all of this should be put into perspective. This was the first preseason game of the year and some of those guys may not be on an NFL roster come September. But those numbers are hard to ignore regardless of who is playing against them.

Also putting things into perspective is knowing that if there was better quarterback play, some of those incomplete passes may have gone for big plays.

Next comes what Coach McCarthy likes to call “stacking success”. These four young receivers showed what they are capable of and now they must do it again. If they do, it will give the coaching staff and GM the kind of tough decisions anyone in NFL personnel would love to have.