There were five TEs picked before Rodgers. One of them was on his way to a better season in Austin Seferian-Jenkins before getting injured. Jace Amaro was clearly the better player with more upside last year, before going down in the pre-season. I also don't see how Rodgers is CLEARLY more productive than Ebron.
I also never said it was about his 40. It's about looking average at best at every single drill, combined with an average college career, which resulted in him being projected as an average player. That very much seems like a spot on prediction to me right now.
But fair enough. Let's ignore all that for now. On all the coaches film I've seen, he just looks sluggish at times. A lot of his receptions come not from beating his man, but from Aaron running around and creating something. He struggles to get seperation from guys like Josh Bynes and has this problem consistently.... I have to go to work now, but I could go on and on. Going on smarts and sinsight alone doesn't get you to the top in the NFL. If so, I imagine you'd be in the league right now, Barfarn.
He's not bad. I'm not saying he is. He's just an average TE. A Donald Lee. A type of player we're used to, but who just isn't that great.
Originally Posted by: Rockmolder
Rock, I hear you and I’ll concede that if these other TEs learn to run routes as well as Rodgers; they’ll could eventually become more productive TEs than Rodgers. But, I’ll take a “less athletic” Boldins over the superior athletic Janises EVERY time. 1 in 100 times the Janis-type becomes better.
And again Bynes couldn't cover Rodgers that's why Quaddues was put on him! Wagner couldn't cover Rodgers in NFC champ game last year. Now if his route is a hook, no one gets separation; Gronk could not separate from you or I, if he ran a 5 yard hook. And of the catches and open routes described herein only one was on a scramble.
Production comparison:
Ebron the #10 pick. Yards and targets are close; but Detroit’s system is not nearly as hard to learn as GBs. Also, Rodgers is a far superior blocker; Rodgers is more versatile [playing FB and TE]; he’s better in the red zone [wider catch radius and uses his body better to fight for position] and Ebron is a drop machine with 9.
Niklas, 2nd rounder. 4 catches for 8.8 yards per in 2015. Guy might be a little better blocker; but he is twice as fragile as Abberdaris at a position where fragility equals bust. He doesn’t get route running yet.
Amero, 2nd rounder. We could see him develop in yr 2; but at best, Amero will be a poor man’s Jimmy Graham, who left New Orleans and didn’t hurt the offense at all because as a TE Jimmy is just a guy and as a receiver he’s just guy; he’s just a guy. He can get traded or hurt and get replaced by other “just a guys” in Watson, Hill and Luke Willson. That is what “just a guy” is. Amero is also a shit-stain of a human being and a worse teammate. He had a worse drop rate than Ebron and he’s too special to block and is not very durable. Here’s what his coach thinks of him: “Jets OC Chan Gailey oversaw Scott Chandler's big-TD years in Buffalo, and coached Tony Gonzalez in Kansas City before that. Per ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini, Gang Green is "not going to kiss it off or sit around and wait for Jace Amaro to develop." The organization seems to have grown frustrated with its slow-developing tight end. Amaro also wasn't drafted by the current GM.” Feb 21 - 6:57 PM Source: ESPN New York
ASJ, 2nd rounder. Tampa is thinking of firing its TE coach because he keeps getting arrested for graffiti; just before each snap he has to run out onto the field and spray paint ASJ’s route path on the grass so ASJ knows where to go. Ian Beckles said ASJ was soft as tissue, Anthony Becht said it needs to be stressed to ASJ that blocking is important. “Hercules” is a wuss. And he’s glass: He missed 9 weeks in 2016 because of a “mysterious shoulder injury” after having foot, ankle and back problems as a rookie. in 2015, ASJ caught 21 passes and dropped 4; he drops 1 for every 4 he catches.
Fiedorowicz is the only one of these dumplings worthy to carry Rodgers’ jock strap; but he’s not the route runner Rodgers is yet!