The Packers’ next superstar receiver

It’s kind of sickening to think about the Packers churning out another stud receiver, isn’t it? As teams across the league struggle to acquire just one playmaking wideout for their offense, Green Bay has become a veritable receiver factory. They have recently extended both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb to long-term deals, but the name to watch out for this year is second-year pro Davante Adams. He could make the Packers even more unstoppable on offense, perhaps even giving their historic 2011 offense, which scored 560 points (second-most in league history), a run for its money.

All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems to think that Adams has what it takes, and the former Fresno State Bulldog is making a lot of noise in OTAs this summer after catching 38 passes for 446 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.

“Davante is a very polished player,” Rodgers said. “And he has an excellent demeanor for a guy who’s going to be a star.”

“A star.” That’s pretty high praise from a guy who’s seen a few of those come through Green Bay.

“I mean, he carries himself like a star -- which is a very high compliment,” said Rodgers. “There’s only been a few guys around here who’ve had that charisma: Charles (Woodson), Julius (Peppers), Greg (Jennings) always had it as a young player. But there’s very few guys that really ‘get it.’ And he has supreme confidence, and it’s contagious.”

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy ratcheted up the hype train a little bit more when he joined that chorus, saying that “if you picked an (OTAs) MVP or an NFL All-Star, he’d be at the top of the list.”

“If you wanted a clear illustration of a player taking a jump in his second year, you just saw it,” said McCarthy. “He’s been tremendous in OTAs and he has more in front of him. He’s done a great job in strength and conditioning.”

Of course, the offseason is characterized by overhyped players that fail to live up to their billing. Is Adams the real deal, or will he fade into the background when the snaps really count?

I went back and watched all of Adams’ targets from his rookie season, and you can definitely see some glimpses of where this hype is coming from, but there were a few moments where it feels premature. Let’s examine.

The Packers have a high-octane offense that likes to spread the defense out, and for the most part, Adams’ role was on the outside, opposite Jordy Nelson. Green Bay likes to lull defensive backs to sleep with quick out routes, slants and hitches before baiting them with double moves. Adams saw his fill of all of these.

It seemed his most common route in year one was the hitch -- a short route meant to eat up the cornerback’s cushion before stopping abruptly to turn and find the quick pass from Rodgers. Adams would use his excellent open field running ability and size once he caught the ball, and he made some hay after the catch when defensive backs miscalculated their angle of pursuit or failed to wrap up.

Adams’ most important and famous catch last year came as the clock was running out in Green Bay’s Divisional round matchup agains the Cowboys. On a key third-down situation late in the fourth, Adams ran his quick-stop route, went up and grabbed the off-target pass, then threw Sterling Moore to the ground before picking up major extra yardage.

This play is a great example of the athleticism that helped Adams lead the NCAA in receiving in 2014 at Fresno State.

He’s 6’2, 215 pounds and can do this:

Slants were another big part of Adams’ rookie route tree, and on several occasions he did display one attribute that you can’t really teach -- courage going over the middle.

When you know you’re going to get lit up going into a dropping linebacker’s zone, and you still go up, extend and bring the ball down ... that’s a good sign.

In college, one of the most striking features of Adams’ game was his ability to go up and high point the football, coming down with it over defensive backs. But in year one with the Packers, his ability to create yardage after the catch was huge. A lot of this is due to the fact that he wasn’t often targeted deep downfield, but rather on screens, slants and quick hitches.

He showed this open field ability in the Cowboys’ playoff game I mentioned above, scoring a touchdown on a deep slant route up the numbers. This was one instance where Adams was lined up inside.

Another key play from that game was this quick hitch on third-and-3 late in the third quarter.

When you’ve got a deep threat in Nelson, an over-the-middle, all-purpose YAC threat in Randall Cobb, and potentially a big, physical, go-up-and-get it player who can also create his own yardage? That’s nightmare fuel for fellow NFC North teams.

Now, let’s slow this hype session down a tad. Adams’ rookie year wasn’t without screw-ups. I did notice, somewhat surprisingly, a few instances where his hands were a problem. I’m not sure whether these are concentration drops or just “stone hands” (looks more like a concentration thing, but it’s tough to judge), but these are terrible drops. And they happened a little too frequently last season.

One other issue he had is a common thing among rookie receivers: his ability to quickly pick up a complicated offense.

“(The offense at Fresno is) not as complex, so you wouldn’t have to study as much,” Adams said recently. “Naturally, you wouldn’t have to be in the book as much as you are here. We have a lot of signals and things like that, subtleties that will help us out with throwing defenses off. That’s what we try to do. Obviously, it worked.”

However, there were times where it appeared he missed these subtle signals.

Aaron Rodgers obviously saw something pre- or post-snap that Adams did not.

“Shoot, you come into this system, it’s tough to be a rookie out there,” quarterbacks/receivers coach Alex Van Pelt said recently. “So there’s just a lot to the wide receiver play -- route conversions, splits, rules, it just takes some time.”

This is why there’s often a big jump at that position from year one to year two, or from year two to year three. It’s a complex position to play. The receiver has to first read the defense to determine what coverage they’re in and if it’s a coverage that requires a check or route adjustment, he has to be heady enough to figure that out in a matter of seconds. The example above shows this in action, as Rodgers obviously expected Adams to cut his route short.

He’ll get a chance to prove he’s picked up more of the subtleties that come with the position in 2015.

No one’s wearing pads, no one’s tackling and no one’s buying into the hype too much right now, if they know what’s good for them. Adams certainly has the physical potential to become a star in this league, and he’s lucky enough to be in an offense run by Aaron Rodgers. The second-year receiver will still be behind Nelson and Cobb in the pecking order in Green Bay, but as his role on the outside expands, he should get plenty of chances to make plays and score touchdowns. If the second half of his season was any indication, he’s trending upward. His name is one you should be familiar with as the season gets closer.