The loss of Jordy Nelson is going to resonate for the Green Bay Packers and their fans. Nelson, 30, has become one of the most consistent No. 1 wide receivers in the NFL playing alongside quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his absence leaves a gaping hole at the top of the Packers' pass-catching depth chart. While any number of potential free agent options abound for Green Bay GM Ted Thompson, it's not his modus operandi to delve into open market waters and it's therefore unlikely the team will bring aboard any limited veteran who really doesn't offer much in the way of upside. Instead, Thompson is likely to look to the guys already in place to replace Nelson's production and while it won't be easy, it certainly seems like the Packers have some quality options with the potential to blossom.
Randall Cobb has never operated as a No. 1, but he brings versatility and explosiveness to the position. He can line up all over the formation, though he does most of his damage from the slot, and should see his already ample opportunities ramped up with Nelson on the shelf. While Cobb is likely to garner significant snaps though, it may be that another player, last year's second-round pick, Davanate Adams, has the inside track on becoming Rodgers' new No. 1 target on the outside.
"Different body type but in terms of skill level he's very much along the lines of Alshon Jeffery," an NFL personnel director said of Adams after the 2014 NFL Draft, via Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He's not as fast and doesn't separate as well but he's probably got a little better run after the catch.
"He's got some one-handers in the end zone that are a common occurrence. He has done an incredible amount of red-zone work. That level of player is making all the catches in the NFL. It's their ability to leverage catch and be great basketball players on the football field. People that know how to use their body and have confidence under contact."
Jeffery, the new de facto No. 1 receiver for the Chicago Bears, is a comparison many fans in Green Bay are likely all-too-happy to hear for Adams. The soon-to-be fourth-year Bears wide receiver will never "wow" anyone with his speed, but despite limitations where his quicks are concerned, he's managed to finish both of the last two seasons with over 1,100-yards receiving. He's done enough already that new Chicago head coach John Fox felt comfortable jettisoning mercurial talent Brandon Marshall this year. In 2013, Jeffery broke out for 89 receptions, 1,421-yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, he collected 85 receptions for 1,133-yards and 10 touchdowns.
While every NFL player has their own specific attributes, there's simply no denying the similarities in body type between the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Adams and the 6-foot-3, 216-pound Jeffery. In 16 games during his rookie season, Adams managed 38 receptions for 446 yards and three touchdowns. Rodgers indicated earlier this offseason, well before Nelson's season-ending injury, that he believed Adams was well on his way to blossoming.
While Adams didn't display much of Jeffery's basketball-like approach to the wide receiver position last season, McGinn indicates that he's been employing those specific aspects of his game more often in Packers training camp practices of late. If Adams can mimic the Bears pass-catcher and learn to utilize his size and strength on the outside, it could go a long way toward mitigating, if not altogether erasing, the sting of Nelson's loss.
