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

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?

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