Packers Pick #52 Greg Jennings WR

[HarveyWallbangers]

Big-time late riser, so his bios (which are written around the combine) won't be as flattering. He was the consensus 4th best WR in the draft among my trustworthy sources.

Pro Football Weekly had him at #3 on the WR board (ahead of Sinorice Moss).
ESPN had him at #6.
Scout.com had him at #6.
NFL Draft Countdown had him at #9.
Packer Plus Insider had him at #4.
Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News had him at #4.
Tim McShay's mock draft had him going 6th among wideouts.

The mock drafts had him going anywhere from the early 2nd to early 3rd. I had him as late 2nd round value, and that's where he went.

[jack's smirking revenge]

Though he wasn't picked as late as him, he reminds of Driver. Kinda looks like him too.

tyler

[Tarlam!]

We have 10 WR on our roster (2 of which in NFLE). But I bet we get at least one more in the draft, and sign another 3 after the draft.

Of course we'll relegare about 3 to the P-Squad. Assuming we take 5 into the season, that's 6 we will cut.

The more I think about this pick in reflection of our WR core, the more I think this is a KR-specialist.Jennings will play on ST in year one.

I think DD is set, followed by Boerigter/Gardener. I think Fergie is on the hot seat to hang around.

My rankings:

80 Donald Driver----------------Alcorn State D7b-99
82 Rod Gardner-----------------Clemson W-05 (Car)
83 Marc Boerigter---------------Hastings UFA-06 (KC)
89 Robert Ferguson-------------Texas A&M D2-01
81 Greg Jennings---------------Western Michigan D2b-06
10 Chad Lucas------------------Alabama State FA-06
19 Vince Butler------------------Northwestern Oklahoma State FA-06
18 Ruvell Martin-----------------Saginaw Valley State FA-06
8 Leo Bookman-----------------Kansas FA-06
13 Willie Quinnie----------------Alabama-Birmingham FA-06

[Fritz]

I've seen lots of bitching on Packerrats about GB passing on Chad Jackson. I say so what? The guy clearly has some holes in his game or he'd have been chosen much sooner in a draft that lacked a strong wide receiver class. He seems to me to be one of those guys with "measurables" who may or may not be a football player.

I think it's also a mistake to somehow think Jennings replaces Walker. He doesn't. He's a guy who has punt and kick return ability (which, by the way, the Packers have lacked since Rossum) - just a different animal than Walker. The more I consider the pick, the more I like it. Rated anywhere from the third to ninth best receiver in the draft, he was, I think the third taken.

[Bretsky]

I've seen lots of bitching on Packerrats about GB passing on Chad Jackson. I say so what? The guy clearly has some holes in his game or he'd have been chosen much sooner in a draft that lacked a strong wide receiver class. He seems to me to be one of those guys with "measurables" who may or may not be a football player.

I think it's also a mistake to somehow think Jennings replaces Walker. He doesn't. He's a guy who has punt and kick return ability (which, by the way, the Packers have lacked since Rossum) - just a different animal than Walker. The more I consider the pick, the more I like it. Rated anywhere from the third to ninth best receiver in the draft, he was, I think the third taken.

Pretty sure he was the 4th WR taken behind Holmes, Jackson, and Moss.
It won't be hard for us to tell if Jackson was worth Jennings and Spitz a few years from now.

B

[HarveyWallbangers]

I ranked Jackson higher, but really felt the top was weak, and there wasn't a whole lot of difference between Jackson and the other guys ranked in the top 10 at WR. Jackson has the measurables, but he wasn't very productive at Florida--especially compared to other WRs that have come through there. Jennings might have been the most productive receiver in college. We'll see. I'm willing to give this one a chance without arguing one way or the other.

[Bossman641]

Bump

2.5 years is a good time to grade a draft right

[ahaha]

Most of the reports say he's not a down field threat. HA!

[gbgary]

this was a cool look back. bring up some more.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I've seen lots of bitching on Packerrats about GB passing on Chad Jackson. I say so what? The guy clearly has some holes in his game or he'd have been chosen much sooner in a draft that lacked a strong wide receiver class. He seems to me to be one of those guys with "measurables" who may or may not be a football player.

I think it's also a mistake to somehow think Jennings replaces Walker. He doesn't. He's a guy who has punt and kick return ability (which, by the way, the Packers have lacked since Rossum) - just a different animal than Walker. The more I consider the pick, the more I like it. Rated anywhere from the third to ninth best receiver in the draft, he was, I think the third taken.

Pretty sure he was the 4th WR taken behind Holmes, Jackson, and Moss.
It won't be hard for us to tell if Jackson was worth Jennings and Spitz a few years from now.

B

To answer your question 2.5 years later B, I think the answer is YES!

[cheesner]

I've seen lots of bitching on Packerrats about GB passing on Chad Jackson. I say so what? The guy clearly has some holes in his game or he'd have been chosen much sooner in a draft that lacked a strong wide receiver class. He seems to me to be one of those guys with "measurables" who may or may not be a football player.

I think it's also a mistake to somehow think Jennings replaces Walker. He doesn't. He's a guy who has punt and kick return ability (which, by the way, the Packers have lacked since Rossum) - just a different animal than Walker. The more I consider the pick, the more I like it. Rated anywhere from the third to ninth best receiver in the draft, he was, I think the third taken.

Pretty sure he was the 4th WR taken behind Holmes, Jackson, and Moss.
It won't be hard for us to tell if Jackson was worth Jennings and Spitz a few years from now.

B

To answer your question 2.5 years later B, I think the answer is YES!

I think you meant NO! Jennings and Spitz are worth much more than Jackson.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Most of the reports say he's not a down field threat. HA!

A few did, but others gave him plus on his speed and quickness and many said he was a playmaker.

[Bossman641]

Greg Jennings
Height: 5-11
Weight: 196
40 Speed: 4.54*
Position: Wide Receiver
College: Western Michigan
Final Grade: I 6.3 PR


GM JR Scouting LLC Grading Scale/Key



SUMMARY
Jennings is a player that is impressive. He is one of the few players at the position with no glaring weaknesses. He is a very good athlete with the foot quickness, balance and agility to make plays once he has the ball in his hands. While he lacks elite explosiveness and speed, Jennings runs sharp routes and has the ability to turn the cornerback around. This enables him to get better separation than most receivers who have better timed speed. While he is going to make a lot of big plays in the NFL, Jennings will get caught from behind more than he is used to. He runs hard with the ball and fights for extra yards until he is on the ground, and does a good job of blocking his man out of the play. Overall, Jennings is the type of receiver who usually ends up slipping a bit in the draft because he lacks the great height or elite 40-yard dash time that teams usually focus on. However, his athleticism will combine with his football intelligence and instincts to let him contribute sooner than nearly all the other receivers available this year. In the end, he will become a very good starting receiver that will make big plays when running after the catch and as a punt returner.

CRITICAL FACTORS
Size Athletic Ability Hands Competes Play Speed Instincts
6.0 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.5



STRONG POINTS
Jennings is a very good athlete with the foot quickness, agility and explosiveness to make big plays in the open field. He makes his biggest impact by making things happen after the catch. He is a very smart receiver that runs very sharp routes -- sells fakes very well and can get the cornerback to bite and turn the wrong way. When he can get the cornerback turned, Jennings has the burst to get separation deep down the field. He has very good hands and has shown the ability to pluck the ball away from defenders' hands at nearly full speed.



WEAKNESSES
Jennings will take his eyes off the ball at times and start upfield before tucking the ball away, which leads to him dropping some easy passes. He has a very good burst in routes and after the catch, but lacks the elite explosiveness and top-end speed -- fast NFL cornerbacks will be able to stay with him on deep routes. He looks smaller on film than his measured size, and while he can keep feet against hits and runs through arm tackles, he is not a tackle breaker.



POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade Category Comments/Description
6.5 Hands Has very good hands -- can pluck the ball away from body well and can adjust to make great catches.
6.0 Initial Quickness Consistently gets off the ball and into the route quickly, but does not explode off the ball.
6.0 Clean Release Does a good job of getting off the ball and into the route quickly when he is uncovered by a cornerback.
6.0 Release vs. Jam His combination of quick feet, agility, strength and quick hands help him defeat the jam.
6.5 Patterns Runs very sharp and precise routes, and does a very good job of selling fakes to turn cornerbacks around.
6.5 Adjusts to Ball His hands, body control and coordination help him to adjust and make great catches seem routine.
6.5 Run after Catch He is an explosive runner after the catch who can make tacklers miss and has a burst through holes.
6.5 Deep Threat Has good speed, and his sharp routes and burst out of cuts help him easily get separation deep.
6.5 Hand/Eye Coordination Coordination allows him to make the super sharp cut without losing his footing.
6.0 Blocking Gives a good effort and nearly always stays on block long enough to eliminate his man from the play.
6.0 Return Ability His hands, quickness, elusiveness and burst make him a dangerous return man -- has experience at punt returner.
6.0 Fumbles/Error Not a fumbler and does not make any real errors, but needs to make all the easy catches every time.



ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 6.5
Jennings is a very good athlete and it has allowed him to be a dominant receiver in the MAC. His very quick feet enable him to accelerate to full speed in a flash, and that combines with his agility to let him change directions in ahurry. Change-of-direction quickness and burst lets him shake and make tacklers miss consistently -- very slippery and elusive runner in the open field. Has the explosive burst to get separation from the cornerback on short to medium routes and really shows that extra gear to break away from the defender on deep routes -- has shown ability to split the gap between the cornerback and safety and can get five yards of separation. Has the hands and coordination to adjust and make tough catches seem routine -- can pluck the overthrown pass surprisingly well.

Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination
6.5 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.5



COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 6.0
Jennings is a tough football player who played through a lot of pain to stay in the lineup, which is what helped him set the Western Michigan receiving records. On the most important plays, Jennings has shown the ability to step up and make an impact -- not only does he make big catches, but he makes big plays once he is running with the ball in the open field. Was always able to get open, catch the ball and make things happen after the catch. Has the hands to haul in tough catches and has shown the willingness to catch passes in traffic, take the hard hit and hold onto the ball. A versatile team player who has lined up in a variety of spots so that the offense could get him the ball. Also returned punts as a senior despite being their premier player. He is a competitive runner after the catch, runs hard with the ball, and consistently avoid tackles to gain yards after the catch. Does a good job of not exposing himself to extra punishment -- goes down right before getting hit hard when there are a lot of tacklers around him.

Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit
6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.5 6.0



MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.0
Jennings is a very smart football player, and he shows it by running very sharp and precise routes. Uses his hands very well to defeat the jam and does a very good job of coming back to the quarterback when he is flushed from the pocket. Top-notch instincts are combined with his quickness and speed to make him a dangerous runner in the open field -- follows blockers well and can make the quick cut off their blocks. Generally does a very good job of maintaining his concentration, which is what helps him to make tough catches on a regular basis. Occasionally he will take his eyes off the ball to peek upfield to see where he is going to run and ends up dropping some passes he should catch.

Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration
6.5 6.5 6.0



STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 6.0
Jennings is basically built like the average NFL receiver at 5-foot-11 and 190-plus pounds, although on film he looks a bit shorter and thinner. Has been a durable receiver at Western Michigan while catching a ton of passes, so he should be equally durable in the NFL. He is a naturally explosive receiver that can burst out of cuts to get separation from cornerbacks and can hit holes to make big plays when running with the ball. Lacks the elite explosiveness and speed to explode by fast NFL players and score long touchdowns. Has shown decent strength keeping feet against low tackles, but he does not show the strength to break tackles consistently.

Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength
6.0 6.0 6.0 5.0

I think this one is the most accurate overall.

Anyone know where this came from?

[HarveyWallbangers]

What were they thinking? A lot of them contradicted themselves. I think a lot of the knocks on being a downfield threat stem from his averaging leaping ability and lack of size. They underestimated his ball skills.

STRENGTHS
Quickness off Line

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Downfield Threa

Pos: Fast off the line, sharp running routes and gets separation from opponents.

Neg: Not a true downfield threat.

Positives: his separation speed on deep plays that'll get everyone excited.

Strengths: Has deceptive speed; does not get caught from behind.

Weaknesses: lacks the speed to separate on downfield routes.

Strengths:
Can create after the catch and came through with a lot of big plays

Weaknesses:
Is not much of a deep threat and won't stretch the field

Strengths: He is quicker than fast but also possesses good top-end speed. Shows a little bit of a second gear when he hits daylight. Knows how to separate and also has a very good feel for finding soft spots in zone. He's a threat after the catch.

Weaknesses: He doesn't show the leaping ability or size to make many plays vertically in the passing game at the NFL level.

STRONG POINTS
Jennings is a very good athlete with the foot quickness, agility and explosiveness to make big plays in the open field. He makes his biggest impact by making things happen after the catch. When he can get the cornerback turned, Jennings has the burst to get separation deep down the field.

WEAKNESSES
He has a very good burst in routes and after the catch, but lacks the elite explosiveness and top-end speed -- fast NFL cornerbacks will be able to stay with him on deep routes.

[oregonpackfan]

Many years ago, a number of draft "experts" gave mediocre evaluations to a small college receiver named Jerry Rice. Let's not forget the achievements he made in the NFL.