musccy
Cheesehead
SUMMARY
Rodgers is a junior who came out early for the draft. On film, he is clearly a talented receiver/returner with the talent to become a productive impact receiver in the NFL. He has good height for a receiver and has the jumping ability and hands to get up and pluck the high passes easily. He has shown a willingness to catch the high pass right before he takes the hard hit and holds onto the ball. Once he gets the ball in his hands he has consistently shown the ability to make tacklers miss, is a natural following blocks and waiting for holes to open up and has the burst to get thru the hole. He needs to do a better job of keeping his focus and catching the easy passes away from body with his hands. Overall, while he is not as good as A. Bolden of the Cardinals, I think Rodgers' success in the NFL will prove that too much stock is placed on post-season workouts (When Bolden came out of Florida State he was initially regarded as a top 15 pick in the entire NFL Draft, but when he ran in the high 4.7s at his pro day his stick began to fall and he ended being drafted in the second round by Arizona and has become an elite NFL receiver). I do not believe he is going to be as good a receiver as Bolden, but I do believe he will become a good starting receiver who consistently makes big plays running after the catch and as a returner.
CRITICAL FACTORS
Size Athletic Ability Hands Competes Play Speed Instincts
5.5 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0
STRONG POINTS
Rodgers is a very good athlete with the quick feet and agility to make tacklers miss, has a burst through the hole and the play speed to run away fron the defense. All of these make him a dangerous runner after the catch. He has good hands to make all the catches when he stays focused on catching the ball before running with it. In the games GM Jr. graded, he caught 81 percent of the passes thrown his way. His combination of hands and athleticism enable him to adjust and make the tough catch on off-target passes surprisngly well. He is a highly competitive player who consistently runs aggressively with the ball after the catch and blocks from the snap until the whistle.
WEAKNESSES
Two things are concerns, but only one is really a football issue. His tendency to body-catch easy passes and to try and run before tucking away the ball leads him to drop some passes he should catch easily. It's definitely a conern when a receiver viewed as a very good athlete with natural explosiveness and big-play speed runs such a bad 40. He probably plays faster than his 40 time, but it definitely is a little scary. He does not consistently fight through the jam from the cornerback well. Despite playing strong, he is thin-legged and his ability to be a durable NFL receiver is a bit of a question mark because of it.
POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade Category Comments/Description
6.0 Hands Has good hands to make the tough catches, but needs to catch the easy passes more consistently.
6.0 Initial Quickness He is not explosive off the ball, but gets off the ball and into routes decently.
6.0 Clean Release When he does not have to deal with press coverage, he gets off ball well enough and can close cushion.
5.5 Release vs. Jam Has quicks to avoid jam side to side, but struggles to consistently avoid a good jam.
6.0 Patterns He runs good routes and has the quicks out of his cuts to get separation from cornerback.
6.5 Adjusts to Ball Has the hands, body control and coordination to adjust to off-target passes and make great catches easily.
6.0 Run after Catch His instincts, patience following blocks, quick burst and surprising strength make him dangerous.
6.0 Deep Threat Plays faster than his 40 time and has shown the ability to stretch the field and get separation deep.
6.5 Hand/Eye Coordination Very good hand/eye coordination helps him to consistently make tough catches seem routine.
6.0 Blocking Gives a good effort blocking and usually finds a way to eliminte man from the play.
6.0 Return Ability His quicks, vision/instincts, play strength and speed make him a dangerous returner.
6.0 Fumbles/Error Rodgers is not a fumbler, but he needs to make sure he tucks ball away before starting to run with ball.
ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 6.5
Rodgers is a very good athlete who I know is not getting credit for his athleticism due to not having a good combine workout. He has very quick feet which help him get out of cuts quickly to get separation and to accelerate to full speed fast. Despite his bad 40 time he has very good playing speed - He will run away from NFL defenses once he gets a step and is not going to get caught from behind. He also has very good agility and balance which combine with his foot quicks so that he can change directions in a flash to avoid tacklers. His balance, surprising strength and excellent competitiveness running with the ball enable him to consistently keep feet vs hits, runs thru arm/grab tackles and gains yards after contact. While he is a very good athlete, he does not consistently show good flexibiltiy and it hinders his ability to get down and catch low passes consistently. He has the hands, body control and coordination to make tough catches on high/off-target passes when he reaches away from body and catches the ball with his hands.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination
6.5 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.5
COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 6.5
Rodgers is a tough receiver who consistently has shown a willingness to go up and catch the high pass in traffic right before he gets crushed and always holds onto the ball. He has consistently been the go-to-receiver for TCU and did a very good job of consistently getting beyond the yard marker on key 3rd down plays. His overall production has been consistently good - Runs quick routes, consistently gets separation, makes good catches on high passes and gains yards running with the ball after the catch. My only issue in regards to Rodgers's production is that on easy passes within his frame he has a tendency to body catch the ball and it leads to him fighting the ball and dropping some passes he should catch. Despite coming out early for the draft, Rodgers is definitely a very competitive team player who gives an excellent effort running with the ball after the catch and never stops fighting for extra yards until he is on the ground.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit
6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.5 6.5
MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.0
Rodgers is a smart receiver who has learned how to run routes well, uses hands and body well to shield defender from the ball and uses good, quick technique to pluck ball and get it tucked away fast so it is protected when he takes off running after the catch. He has good instincts which help him to find the open spot vs zone coverage and to make plays running after the catch - Follows blockers very well, waits for hole to open up and zips thru hole fast. Despite having quick feet and good instincts, he is only decent getting off ball and into route quickly at the snap. He generally maintains his concentration well, but at times on easy passes he will take eyes off ball to look upfield before finish catch and drops some passes he should easily catch.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration
6.0 6.0 6.0
STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 5.5
Rodgers has good height for a receiver, but despite measured weight he looks much thinner on film; especially his legs. He has been durable at TCU, but with his thin legs I have real doubts about his ability to be a durable starting receiver in the NFL. He is an explosive runner with the ball after the catch who can burst thru holes and has the speed to score the long TD, but he lacks an explosive burst off the ball into route. Despite thin legs Rodgers has consistently played strong - Consistently runs thru arm/grab tackles, keeps feet vs hard hits and consistently gains yards after contact. Additionally, he shows good strength as a blocker and consistently is able to eliminate his man from the play.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength
5.5 5.0 5.5 6.0
Rodgers is a junior who came out early for the draft. On film, he is clearly a talented receiver/returner with the talent to become a productive impact receiver in the NFL. He has good height for a receiver and has the jumping ability and hands to get up and pluck the high passes easily. He has shown a willingness to catch the high pass right before he takes the hard hit and holds onto the ball. Once he gets the ball in his hands he has consistently shown the ability to make tacklers miss, is a natural following blocks and waiting for holes to open up and has the burst to get thru the hole. He needs to do a better job of keeping his focus and catching the easy passes away from body with his hands. Overall, while he is not as good as A. Bolden of the Cardinals, I think Rodgers' success in the NFL will prove that too much stock is placed on post-season workouts (When Bolden came out of Florida State he was initially regarded as a top 15 pick in the entire NFL Draft, but when he ran in the high 4.7s at his pro day his stick began to fall and he ended being drafted in the second round by Arizona and has become an elite NFL receiver). I do not believe he is going to be as good a receiver as Bolden, but I do believe he will become a good starting receiver who consistently makes big plays running after the catch and as a returner.
CRITICAL FACTORS
Size Athletic Ability Hands Competes Play Speed Instincts
5.5 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0
STRONG POINTS
Rodgers is a very good athlete with the quick feet and agility to make tacklers miss, has a burst through the hole and the play speed to run away fron the defense. All of these make him a dangerous runner after the catch. He has good hands to make all the catches when he stays focused on catching the ball before running with it. In the games GM Jr. graded, he caught 81 percent of the passes thrown his way. His combination of hands and athleticism enable him to adjust and make the tough catch on off-target passes surprisngly well. He is a highly competitive player who consistently runs aggressively with the ball after the catch and blocks from the snap until the whistle.
WEAKNESSES
Two things are concerns, but only one is really a football issue. His tendency to body-catch easy passes and to try and run before tucking away the ball leads him to drop some passes he should catch easily. It's definitely a conern when a receiver viewed as a very good athlete with natural explosiveness and big-play speed runs such a bad 40. He probably plays faster than his 40 time, but it definitely is a little scary. He does not consistently fight through the jam from the cornerback well. Despite playing strong, he is thin-legged and his ability to be a durable NFL receiver is a bit of a question mark because of it.
POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade Category Comments/Description
6.0 Hands Has good hands to make the tough catches, but needs to catch the easy passes more consistently.
6.0 Initial Quickness He is not explosive off the ball, but gets off the ball and into routes decently.
6.0 Clean Release When he does not have to deal with press coverage, he gets off ball well enough and can close cushion.
5.5 Release vs. Jam Has quicks to avoid jam side to side, but struggles to consistently avoid a good jam.
6.0 Patterns He runs good routes and has the quicks out of his cuts to get separation from cornerback.
6.5 Adjusts to Ball Has the hands, body control and coordination to adjust to off-target passes and make great catches easily.
6.0 Run after Catch His instincts, patience following blocks, quick burst and surprising strength make him dangerous.
6.0 Deep Threat Plays faster than his 40 time and has shown the ability to stretch the field and get separation deep.
6.5 Hand/Eye Coordination Very good hand/eye coordination helps him to consistently make tough catches seem routine.
6.0 Blocking Gives a good effort blocking and usually finds a way to eliminte man from the play.
6.0 Return Ability His quicks, vision/instincts, play strength and speed make him a dangerous returner.
6.0 Fumbles/Error Rodgers is not a fumbler, but he needs to make sure he tucks ball away before starting to run with ball.
ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 6.5
Rodgers is a very good athlete who I know is not getting credit for his athleticism due to not having a good combine workout. He has very quick feet which help him get out of cuts quickly to get separation and to accelerate to full speed fast. Despite his bad 40 time he has very good playing speed - He will run away from NFL defenses once he gets a step and is not going to get caught from behind. He also has very good agility and balance which combine with his foot quicks so that he can change directions in a flash to avoid tacklers. His balance, surprising strength and excellent competitiveness running with the ball enable him to consistently keep feet vs hits, runs thru arm/grab tackles and gains yards after contact. While he is a very good athlete, he does not consistently show good flexibiltiy and it hinders his ability to get down and catch low passes consistently. He has the hands, body control and coordination to make tough catches on high/off-target passes when he reaches away from body and catches the ball with his hands.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination
6.5 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.5
COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 6.5
Rodgers is a tough receiver who consistently has shown a willingness to go up and catch the high pass in traffic right before he gets crushed and always holds onto the ball. He has consistently been the go-to-receiver for TCU and did a very good job of consistently getting beyond the yard marker on key 3rd down plays. His overall production has been consistently good - Runs quick routes, consistently gets separation, makes good catches on high passes and gains yards running with the ball after the catch. My only issue in regards to Rodgers's production is that on easy passes within his frame he has a tendency to body catch the ball and it leads to him fighting the ball and dropping some passes he should catch. Despite coming out early for the draft, Rodgers is definitely a very competitive team player who gives an excellent effort running with the ball after the catch and never stops fighting for extra yards until he is on the ground.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit
6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.5 6.5
MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.0
Rodgers is a smart receiver who has learned how to run routes well, uses hands and body well to shield defender from the ball and uses good, quick technique to pluck ball and get it tucked away fast so it is protected when he takes off running after the catch. He has good instincts which help him to find the open spot vs zone coverage and to make plays running after the catch - Follows blockers very well, waits for hole to open up and zips thru hole fast. Despite having quick feet and good instincts, he is only decent getting off ball and into route quickly at the snap. He generally maintains his concentration well, but at times on easy passes he will take eyes off ball to look upfield before finish catch and drops some passes he should easily catch.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration
6.0 6.0 6.0
STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 5.5
Rodgers has good height for a receiver, but despite measured weight he looks much thinner on film; especially his legs. He has been durable at TCU, but with his thin legs I have real doubts about his ability to be a durable starting receiver in the NFL. He is an explosive runner with the ball after the catch who can burst thru holes and has the speed to score the long TD, but he lacks an explosive burst off the ball into route. Despite thin legs Rodgers has consistently played strong - Consistently runs thru arm/grab tackles, keeps feet vs hard hits and consistently gains yards after contact. Additionally, he shows good strength as a blocker and consistently is able to eliminate his man from the play.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength
5.5 5.0 5.5 6.0
