Green Bay Packers

Amari Rodgers Is A Product Of Flawed Packers Draft Strategy

Photo Credit: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The Amari Rodgers experiment has run its course. He simply isn’t good enough to justify a roster spot, be it on offense or special teams. It’s understandable that general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to give more chances to a player he liked so much during the draft process. However, there is a limit, and a team knows they’ve reached it when a player is constantly hindering the team.

The process Green Bay used to acquire Amari Rodgers was always flawed. The Packers gave up a fourth-round pick to move up only seven spots in the third round to select him. At the time, Gutekunst highlighted his justification for overpaying to move up.

“Immediately after I got off the phone [with the Josh Myers pick], I turned around to see if we could get back up to get Amari,” Gutekunst said after the pick. “A couple of my guys had gone down to get something to eat, so we had to get everybody back on the phones fast. But we were trying pretty significantly to get up to go get Amari. It took us a little while longer than we wanted to.”

If the Packers hadn’t traded up and another team had taken Rodgers, Green Bay would have had the opportunity to draft Amon-Ra St. Brown with their original selection. The Detroit Lions took him with the 112th pick, in the fourth round. The Packers had Rodgers graded as the better prospect, but that’s my core point. The draft is so uncertain that using extra resources to trade up to get a player is too risky.

It’s not a lone mistake with the same strategy. Since Gutekunst became the general manager in 2018, he has used four fourth-round picks to move up in the draft. He used two to move up in 2019 and draft safety Darnell Savage, one in 2020 to get quarterback Jordan Love, and the one to select Amari Rodgers. It’s fair to say that none of the moves has paid off so far.

The Packers put Amari Rodgers in an uncomfortable situation as a rookie. They drafted him in April, and less than three months later, they traded for veteran Randall Cobb to appease Aaron Rodgers. Therefore, Amari Rodgers’ offensive role as a first-year player was basically nonexistent. He had opportunities as a returner, but that’s not a role he thrives in — and the Packers are frequently reminded of that.

In his second year, even with the lack of receiving options for the Packers, Amari Rodgers’ offensive role had been timid while Cobb was healthy. When the veteran got hurt, there was an expectation that Amari could have a bigger role — especially because, in a short sample, he was better on offense than on special teams. But that hasn’t materialized. In his last five games, Amari Rodgers had 14, 14, 22, zero, and zero receiving yards on four total receptions.

On special teams, Rodgers is a consistent hinderance. On Sunday, he fumbled a punt return and compromised a game in which the Packers were playing relatively well. Defensive back Keisean Nixon has been much more solid as a kickoff returner; Green Bay put him in to return punts after Rodgers’ mistake.

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia even tried to protect his player after a fumble against the New York Jets.

“He works his rear end off and does a good job making decisions back there,” he said after the game. “He’s a clean-catch guy right now, and he’s a young player. So, I’m real excited about the future, what he’s done and the way he practices, and so we’d like him to do a better job with ball security and hanging onto the ball, and he’s working on it.”

But even if the coaching staff likes the player, it’s getting harder to justify his spot on the team.

On offense, even without Cobb, Allen Lazard has been dominant in the slot snap count. Amari Rodgers’ lost confidence on special teams also has an effect on his offensive chances too. The coaching staff has lost faith in him, and rightfully so.

It’s clear that Gutekunst values his draft picks, and he really liked Amari Rodgers as a prospect. Therefore, it’s natural that the general manager would want to give his protégé more chances. But if it was possible to argue for Rodgers because of the lack of opportunities, this is not as valid an argument as it was four weeks ago, considering Amari can’t get on the field even with Cobb injured. If he can’t be productive in this scenario, it’s unlikely that he ever will be.

Next week, Cobb will probably be back from injured reserve. At that point, there will be no reason to keep Amari Rodgers on the 53-man roster.

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