Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Next Man Up: Jeff Janis Might Be Their Third Best Receiver

As the Packers opened training camp, most everyone was expecting that their No. 3 WR would be Jarrett Boykin (who's had an average camp) and their No. 4 would be 2nd round pick Davante Adams, but he's dropping passes in practice and muffed two punts in the first preseason game. Even the young veterans (Chris Harper, Kevin Dorsey and Myles White) who I expected to be a step ahead of the rookies are dropping passes, Harper dropped a two-point conversion at Tennessee, and they all better improve quickly or they'll be released before the end of the month.

An amazing athlete who has a strong grasp of the playbook can pretty much guarantee a roster spot at nearly every position, but a receiver or running back who can't hold onto the ball has almost no chance of a long-term future. It often turns out that the player who actually shows good hands during training camp is the receiver who ends up earning the last receiver's spot.
The one droptastic exception has been their 7th round pick WR Jeff Janis. A case of the shingles kept him out of their first preseason game, but if he's learned the offense, he might find himself as the No. 4 wide receiver because he's hanging onto the ball. I doubt he has a chance of moving ahead of Boykin, but he might start outplaying him very soon if this keeps up.

Assuming he's cleared to play, the player I'll be most interested in watching in their next preseason game is Janis.

No comments: