Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson went heavy on receivers in the 2014 NFL draft and that doesn’t bode well for
some of the receivers battling for jobs on the current roster.
The selection of Davante Adams (round 2), Jared Abbrederis (round 5) and Jeff Janis (round 7) means the Packers are concerned about their receiver depth after losing Greg Jennings and James Jones to free agency the last two years.
Jarrett Boykin entered the week as the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart, but the added competition will push him for that spot. Myles White, who saw time last season, may have seen his chances of staying in Green Bay go up in smoke.
Adams, after redshirting in 2011, played only two years at Fresno State. He started all 26 games he played in and is the only player at the school to record multiple 100-reception, 1,000-yard, double-digit-touchdown performances. Adams finished with 233 receptions for 3,030 yards and 38 touchdowns. Last season along, he caught 131 passes for 1,718 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Abbrederis caught 78 passes for 1,081 yards and 7 touchdowns as a redshirt senior last year at Wisconsin. He became the first Badgers to be selected in the draft by Packers GM Ted Thompson in his 10-years overseeing the process. In 53 career games, he caught 202 passes and 23 touchdowns.
Janis played at Division 2 Saginaw Valley State. As a redshirt senior, he caught 83 passes for 1,572 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a junior, he caught 106 passes for 1,635 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The Packers top two receivers, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have one year left on their contracts and become unrestricted free agents after the season. While one would assume the Packers would resign both, regardless of the cost, the addition of so much receiving talent makes it less then a given.