Last season was pretty miserable for the Green Bay Packers. Once Aaron Rodgers went down in Week 6 with a collarbone injury that kept him out of all but one game the rest of the year, the season was pretty much a wrap. In the end, there weren’t a lot of positives to come out of a 7-9 season after they started off so hot at 4-1.
NFL breakout players 2018: Geronimo Allison, not just Aaron Rodgers, will make the Packers better
Green Bay should really start using Allison’s size at the goal line.
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
One guy who did have a pretty good year amidst all that disappointment, however, was Geronimo Allison.
The season didn’t start off all that well for the former Illini receiver, either. He was suspended for the first game following an arrest for marijuana possession as a rookie in 2016. Allison, who went undrafted, played decently enough in his first year after that and even went on to start in two games. Last season, after serving the one-game suspension, Allison was able to come up with 23 receptions for 253 yards, even though the offense as a whole was trash when Rodgers wasn’t in there.
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At 6’3 and 202 pounds, Allison is a big wide receiver who worked out of the slot quite a bit last year. Interestingly enough, the Packers didn’t really use him on any of the 50-50, back-shoulder type throws Rodgers is famous for last season, even when Rodgers was healthy, Instead, Allison was mostly targeted on short, underneath routes.
His hands weren’t always consistent last season, but Allison ran good routes and wasn’t afraid of a little contact. He isn’t super fast, but his route running helps to get him separation on his short and intermediate routes. If Allison starts catching the ball cleanly all of the time, his numbers should skyrocket this season. Last year he didn’t have a catch in seven of the 15 games he played in, so if he just gets that number down, he should easily surpass his career high from 2017.
With Jordy Nelson gone, Allison should be able to fill the third receiver spot alongside starters Davante Adams and Randall Cobb quite well.
I would also expect the way the Packers use Allison to expand. Since he isn’t really quick, it would just make sense to put Allison in position to make more plays using his size. That size should also make him a very attractive option down by the goal line as well. His biggest leap in production this season may be in touchdown catches, especially since he didn’t have any last year.
With Rodgers back under center this year, the Green Bay offense will have a chance to exorcise the demons of last season and get back to dominating people. Allison’s breakout season should have a major impact on the overall improvement of the offense this year.
Confidence Level: Moderate
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