The Green Bay Packers have enjoyed a talented array of homegrown pass-catchers in recent seasons. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have all made at least one Pro Bowl appearance during their times in Green Bay and they've all certainly helped Aaron Rodgers develop into arguably the game's top quarterback at one time or another. But is this just a happy accident or did general manager Ted Thompson plan it out this way? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky in his weekly mailbag.
"Part of me wonders whether he still hears former Packers GM Ron Wolf saying that perhaps his biggest regret was not giving Brett Favre enough offensive weapons," Demovsky wrote. "But yes, Thompson loves to draft receivers for Aaron Rodgers. He picked another one this year in the third round, Ty Montgomery of Stanford, Since Thompson took over in 2005, he has drafted 16 receivers. That's the most in the NFC North and it's not even close. Now it should be noted that the other teams in the division have had multiple general managers during that stretch so organizational philosophies change with new leaders, but in the same time frame, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings each have drafted 11 receivers, while the Detroit Lions have picked only nine."
Montgomery had an impressive four-year career at Stanford, catching 61 passes for 604 yards and 3 touchdowns in his final season. However, he'll have to outplay talented 2014 second-rounder Davante Adams for the No. 3 receiver job. Adams came on strong late last year, especially during the post-season. He had 66 receptions for 446 yards and three scores in the regular season and eight receptions for 124 yards and one touchdown in the playoffs.
Even if Montgomery doesn't have a huge impact in his rookie season, it's clear that Green Bay likes to keep the corps of pass-catchers well stocked with constantly developing talent. That's one way to finish in the top ten in offensive efficiency for several years in a row.
