© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Former Clemson WR Amari Rodgers is Ready to Take Next Step for Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that there's a clear adjustment that has to be made for college players once they get to the NFL.
He believes second-year players are less bogged down with thinking and able to play faster.
That's exactly what former Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers is hoping to prove in 2022. The Packers' third-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft saw caught just four passes for 45 yards in his rookie season, but he's ready to contribute much more this fall.
"If you mess up, you're going to lose confidence, naturally," Rodgers said to the Green Bay website after Tuesday's offseason practice. "I just feel like me being a rookie, taking it all in and everything coming with being with the Packers, I feel like I let it get to me. Now, I feel like I have a year in the system, a year in the league. I know what it takes. I know what it takes to get out there and be successful."
Much of his impact with the Packers last year came on special teams, where he had 20 punt returns and 11 kick returns, but Rodgers wasn't the immediate weapon some in Green Bay hoped he'd be in Year 1 following a productive final season with the Tigers in 2020. He led the team in receptions (77), receiving yards (1,202) and tied for first in touchdowns (7).
"Every time you're at that new level, you gotta start over," Rodgers said. "I knew I had to learn, and I had to get up to beat with the offense and just being in the NFL."
Rodgers said his confidence is up and he feels better about his conditioning. He's spent the offseason getting his body in better shape for the rigors of a 17-game season. He's lost six pounds and 4% body fat. Known as a "gym rat" at Clemson, putting in work off the field is something Rodgers didn't have to train for in the NFL.
"When I realized I probably wasn't going to be getting as many snaps as I wanted to," Rodgers said, "I just started learning from different people, taking different things, so that when the offseason came, I could come back now and be ready."
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