Scouts: Amari Rodgers Should Make Aaron Rodgers Happy

A personnel director, however, scoffed at the notion Amari Rodgers was really a consideration for the Packers in the second round.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When the Green Bay Packers moved up in the third round to select Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Rodgers was a consideration with the second-round pick that was used on Ohio State center Josh Myers.

One personnel director chuckled when relayed the comment.

“Yeah, people say that just to make themselves look good,” he said. “We’ve done that. ‘Oh, we were considering him in the third.’ But considering him in the third could mean he was the eighth option and if all seven of those other players went then, maybe, yeah, you were considering him then because you do have to take someone. I laugh when people say that. Even us. ‘We were considering him in the third.’ Yeah, loosely ‘considered.’”

That doesn’t mean the personnel director didn’t like Rodgers. Quite the opposite. If Rodgers wasn’t universally liked by the scouting community, it was pretty darned close. While there are differing opinions on Rodgers’ ceiling, his floor is incredibly high.

“He’s just so consistent,” a scout said. “That’s right about where we thought he would go. Nothing fancy, sexy but super-, super-reliable. If there’s something that Aaron (Rodgers) should be happy about, it’s that this is a super-reliable, consistent, steady slot receiver.”

A year removed from a torn ACL, Rodgers had a massive senior season with 77 receptions for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished his Clemson career ranked sixth in receptions, 12th in receiving yards and 14th in receiving touchdowns.

RELATED: WHY WOULD PACKERS GET IN TRADE FOR AARON RODGERS?

“Amari was a good college football player, probably a little underappreciated by the scouting world just because of how Clemson used him,” the personnel director said. “His play style isn’t flashy but he was a pretty productive, respected player.”

While he liked the player, he wasn’t a fan of general manager Brian Gutekunst giving away a fourth-round pick in his trade-up acquisition for a player he called a “poor-man’s” Randall Cobb.

“He’s never really carried the ball in the backfield, he’s not really a great returner,” he said. “I do respect his polish. He’s going to be able to come in, know the playbook, line up in a bunch of different spots and do a bunch of different things. I just don’t know how well he’ll do those things. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned into one of those sneaky, solid slot receivers. I don’t think they needed to trade up for him. It’s easy to say that but it only takes one team to like him.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Rodgers ranked second among receivers with 30 receptions on screens, third with 237 yards on screens, tied for 22nd with 8.0 YAC per catch and tied for seventh with 17 forced missed tackles. Sports Info Solutions had him fifth in the draft class in YAC per reception.

“Love him. Love him,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. “I think he was a guy they really had their sights set on, so I’m glad that he slipped a little bit and they were able to get in range. One of the most improved players we saw on tape this year. I was really lukewarm on Amari off ’19 tape. That was the year he was coming off the injury. He just kind of looked ordinary. Then you put on this year’s tape and he looked like a different guy. He looked a lot more explosive.”

The Packers haven’t had a productive slot receiver since Cobb was rolling in the mid-2010s. The Cobb-Rodgers comparison is one Rodgers, whose father, Tee Martin, coached Cobb at Kentucky, embraced. Nagy, however, offered a different comparison.

“He is definitely a guy you can be creative with and move around and figure out ways to get the football in his hands because he’s so good with the ball in his hands,” Nagy said. “I really think he compares favorably to Deebo Samuel, who was in our game two years ago and has been lights out for the Niners when he’s been healthy. I think they have a very comparable skill-set and body type. Really, really like the pick. I thought Amari had a chance to come off in the early- to mid-second-round range. For him to last and for them to get him where they got him, I thought that was one of the best value picks in the draft.”

Packers Add 16 Rookies, Including Nine Draft Picks

First round: Georgia CB Eric Stokes

More Stokes: Blown away by more than 40 time

More Stokes: In-Depth Stats

More Stokes: Mixed message from scouts

Second round: Ohio State C Josh Myers

More Myers: Stands tall in strong center class

More Myers: In-Depth Stats

More Myers: What scouts said

Third round: Clemson WR Amari Rodgers

More Rodgers: Gutekunst loses trade but wins player he coveted

More Rodgers: Short trend snapped

More Rodgers: In-Depth Stats

Fourth round: Ole Miss OL Royce Newman

More Newman: In-Depth Stats

Fifth round: Florida DT Tedarrell Slaton

More Slaton: In-Depth Stats

Fifth round: Appalachian State CB Shemar Jean-Charles

More Jean-Charles: In-Depth Stats

Sixth round: Wisconsin OL Cole Van Lanen

More Van Lanen: In-Depth Stats

Sixth round: Boston College LB Isaiah McDuffie

More McDuffie: In-Depth Stats

Seventh round: Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill

More Hill: In-Depth Stats

Undrafted: The biggest position steal in the league?

Undrafted: Scouting opinions on all seven signings

Undrafted: Wisconsin OL Jon Dietzen

Undrafted: Iowa OL Coy Cronk

Undrafted: San Jose State WR Bailey Gaither

Undrafted: San Diego State OL Jacob Capra

Undrafted: Michigan OLB Carlo Kemp

Undrafted: Illinois State S Christian Uphoff

Undrafted: Iowa DT Jack Heflin