Green Bay Packers' Past & Future Position Analysis, Volume IV: Receivers

Many fans are focusing on what their teams will do in free agency, which is literally minutes away. Knowing the Packers are not active in free agency, I do not hold much hope for that.

Instead, I resume my series analyzing each position on the Green Bay Packers, examining wide receivers and tight ends. For those of you who cannot remember from over three weeks ago when I submitted my last installment, I am looking at not only how each player performed in 2008 but what their future with the team is.

Greg Jennings: 80 catches, 1292 yards, 16.2 average, 9 TDs

Jennings just keeps getting better. Many thought he would suffer most from the departure of gunslinger Brett Favre, since he was Green Bay's biggest downfield threat. Instead, Jennings improved enough to make his first Pro Bowl in just his third season.

Thus, he is already one of the best receivers in the league and young enough to safely assume he will only get better. He has great ability to go up and get the ball, good hands, and can go over the middle as well as be a downfield threat. His speed is good and his athleticism makes him good after the catch.

The one drawback is his size: 5'11", 198 pounds; he is strong and plays bigger than that, and has not had durability issues thus far in his career. But he is not a guy who can exploit small cornerbacks.

Donald Driver: 74 catches, 1012 yards, 13.7 average, 5 TDs

Driver's catches fell from his Pro Bowl season in 2007, when he was Favre's favourite target. This is to be expected since it was his tenth season, and at 34 years old, his role is likely to continue to diminish in the seasons to come.

However, he still reached the 1000-yard plateau for the sixth time in his career, his yards only dropped off 36 from the previous year because he averaged almost a full yard more per reception, and his touchdowns were up. Thus, there is no reason to think he will not continue to be productive for years to come.

Driver can still be counted on for his leadership and the big catch. He is a decent-sized target (6'0", 194 pounds) with good speed and as a former high-jumper, still possesses good athleticism. He is also one of the most instinctive receivers in the league, and has the elusiveness after the catch that Marvin Harrison had in his prime.

In 2008, he was the third-best receiver in the division; in 2009, he still may be. But I would say it is a sure bet he has been selected to his last Pro Bowl, and I do not think he can be counted on for 1000 yards again, either.

Jordy Nelson: 33 catches, 366 yards, 11.1 average, 2 TDs

Aside from his considerable contribution on special teams, Nelson stepped into the No. 3 role when James Jones struggled with injuries and did well. A drop of 746 yards from your second to third best yardage total among wide receivers and tight ends seems large, but when that second best total is over 1000 yards, it is not.

While 11 teams who had a 1000-yard receiver had more production out of their third best wide receiver or tight end in yards, only Arizona (1006 from Steve Breaston) and New England (468 from Jabbar Gaffney) had more than one 1000-yard receiver ahead of him. Nelson finished fifth in the NFL among rookie wide receivers in yards despite being the third or fourth target; obviously he was an asset for the offense, and will continue to be for years to come.

He is exceptionally quick and possesses great top-end speed. At 6'3" and 217 pounds, he is a big target, and he has good hands and already runs decent routes; the latter two traits are only going to get better.

Donald Lee: 39 catches, 303 yards, 7.8 average, 5 TDs

The Packers offense focuses on the tight end in the red zone, and that means a lot of short receptions and a lot of scores. Thus, that Lee was tied for second in scores is no more remarkable than that he could not get ten yards per catch.

What is noteworthy is that his receiving yards were lower than 28 other tight ends in the league, and four teams had two tight ends who out-gained Lee. Part of this might have been the change under center, as his scores, catches, yards, and average per catch were all down from 2007.

Lee possesses good hands and runs good routes, and his size (6'4", 248 pounds) and speed are above average for the position. However, he is a below average blocker, and if your best tight end goes for these kinds of numbers, he needs to be among the best in the league in this regard.

Lee is great for what he costs Green Bay, since he was signed as a free agent in 2005. He is also young and may improve a bit. But the team needs more of an impact tight end to take the pressure off the wide receivers; perhaps with a more healthy and developed running game in 2009, Lee will find it easier to get open.

James Jones: 20 catches, 274 yards, 13.7 average, 1 TD

Jones missed six games with injury and played at less than 100 percent for most or all of the season. In his rookie season, he had 47 catches for 676 yards, a 14.4 average, and 2 TDs.

Having injuries in just one season is no reason to think a guy is Justin Harrell, so chances are his future performances will be better than even his rookie year. But in 2008, he was not an impact player at all, and the Packers need him to be healthy and productive in 2009.

Jones has great speed, is good-sized (6'1", 218 pounds), and is above average running routes. He is inconsistent in the hands department, sometimes making tough catches and sometimes dropping easy ones. And who can forget the two-fumble performance against the Chicago Bears in 2007?

Tory Humphrey: 11 catches, 162 yards, 14.7 average

Humphrey emerged as a serviceable second option at tight end last season after missing 2007 with a broken leg. Until 2008 he was solely a special teams contributor.

He is young enough he could develop a bit, and he is big (6'2", 255 pounds) and strong. He does well as a blocker in jumbo sets and has decent hands, but the reality is the 2005 free agent is not very athletic and not likely to ever be an impact player.

Ruvell Martin: 15 catches, 149 yards, 9.9 average, 1 TD

Martin is a very solid receiver and deserves better than to be stuck on the Packers, where he is going to be fifth on the depth chart. Even though Green Bay occasionally uses a five-receiver package, the injury to Jones gave Martin a chance to show a little more of what he could do.

He has good hands and runs decent routes. He is the Packers biggest receiver at 6'4", 220 pounds, and it makes him a good target in traffic, such as in the red zone. But his speed is lacking and he also does not have the agility to shake defenders.

On most teams he would be a decent third receiver, but for Green Bay he will only get to face other teams' "quarter" defenses (seven defensive backs) in the five receiver set. While he will overmatch anyone's fifth cornerback, he will never be a major part of the game plan.

JerMichael Finley: 6 catches, 74 yards, 12.3 average, 1 TD

The Packers are certainly hoping the 2008 third-round pick from Texas will be their go-to tight end, because he has the physical tools. At 6'5" and 247 pounds, he is big, but he also has pretty good speed and agility.

He still has to work on consistency with his hands, but has the capability of making tough catches, especially near the goal line. Right now, his route running is the major problem, but that will improve as he gets more experienced.

Grade for 2008: B+

Only the Arizona Cardinals have a deeper wide receiving corps, and only they and New England also had two 1000-yard receivers. No team had more than seven tight ends and wide receivers catching a touchdown pass. The Packers are consistently among the best teams in the league in yards after the catch.

The only thing keeping this unit from a higher grade was the tight end position. All three tight ends managed a combined 56 catches for 539 yards and six scores. There were eight individual tight ends with at least that many catches and six with at least that many scores; there were 13 with more yards.

Grade for the future: A-

The Packers are set for years to come at the wide receiver position. Granted, Donald Driver is on the down-side of his career, but he still has a couple years left, and the other three marquee wide receivers are 25 or under.

The tight end position is still less than secure: Finley may well be the answer, but that is not certain. If not, Lee might still develop into a solid starting tight end, but will probably not be a prime option in his career.