Green Bay Packers 2015 Impact Meter: WR Davante Adams

The bottom of the Green Bay Packers wide receiver group may be all mixed up—currently, Jeff Janis, Jared Abbrederis, Myles White, Larry Pinkard, Javess Blue and Ed Williams are competing for what could be one or two spots. Rookie Ty Montgomery, a third-round pick, is a roster lock.

However, life is good at the top. Second-year player Davante Adams rounds out the Packers' top three along with veterans Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

Needless to say, Adams is primed for a big year. How much of an impact could he have on the offense in 2015?

2014 in Review

Games	Starts	Receptions	Yards	TDs	Catch Rate	YAC
16	11	38	446	3	61.3%	185

The Packers never meant for Adams to become the team's No. 3 wideout in 2014. He began the season behind Jarrett Boykin on the depth chart, and in Green Bay's Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Adams played only nine snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

However, that would prove to be Adams' lowest snap count in any game all season, including the playoffs. Though it was partially due to the prowess of Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman, Boykin was nonexistent in the Packers' Week 1 opener. Throwing to him was not an option for Aaron Rodgers.

In Week 2 against the New York Jets, Adams got more of an opportunity. In that game, he played 37 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and made five receptions for 50 yards, including one 24-yard catch.

He would not approach numbers like those again until Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, but Adams demonstrated that he could be a difference-maker when given the opportunity.

Between Weeks 6 and 12, Adams had two more splashy performances. Against the Dolphins, he caught six passes for 77 yards, including another 24-yard bomb. However, the most important catch of Adams' day in Miami did not stand out on the stat sheet: a 12-yard reception in the fourth quarter. 

The reason, of course, that catch was so important was that it effectively kept the Packers alive in a close 24-20 game, with the Packers trailing and just six seconds remaining on the clock. Adams caught Rodgers' pass and immediately maneuvered to get out of bounds.

The then-rookie knew that if he tried to make a run for it upfield, he would have been stopped, and Rodgers wouldn't have gotten another opportunity to reach the end zone.

As it was, of course, Rodgers did find the end zone, connecting with tight end Andrew Quarless in the final seconds to give Green Bay the 27-24 victory.

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

"There's a lot of wideouts that wouldn't get out there," former Packers cornerback Davon House said at the time, per Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "What Davante did was huge."

Adams posted the first touchdown of his career the following week against the Carolina Panthers.

Then, in Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints, Adams was a bright spot in an otherwise-bleak showing by the Packers. Though the team lost to the Saints, 44-23, Adams made seven receptions for 75 yards.

Adams' true breakout game of the season, however, came against the New England Patriots in Week 13. New England's defensive strategy was to take Nelson away. Aaron Rodgers capitalized on that by utilizing Adams; the wideout got 11 looks from Rodgers, tied with Cobb for the most of any Packers pass-catcher, and caught six balls for 121 yards.

That was Adams' only 100-plus-yard performance of the regular season, though he did follow it up with a seven-reception, 117-yard showing in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys. 

Adams started 11 regular-season games in 2014 and both postseason games.

2015 Preview

Unlike last year, Adams heads into 2015 having taken the No. 3 reps at wide receiver throughout the offseason and training camp. He has a year's worth of experience under his belt, better chemistry with Rodgers and better knowledge of the playbook.

In short, even though he's the third wideout behind Nelson and Cobb, Adams could have a bigger impact on the offense this season.

The solid offseason of work that Adams has put in has only strengthened Rodgers' and his coaches' trust in him.

"In my mind, he has humongous upside—and he’s starting to reach that upside," Rodgers said of Adams during Packers OTAs, per Jason Wilde of ESPN.com. "I think the opportunities are going to come for him. He’s got two great guys to play with. His attention to detail is very impressive and his approach."

Head coach Mike McCarthy has been likewise impressed, naming Adams the "MVP" of OTAs, as Tyler Dunne reported for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"

I would say Davante Adams, if you wanted a clear illustration of a player taking a jump in his second year, you just saw it. He's been tremendous in OTA's and he has more in front of him. He's done a great job in strength and conditioning. If you picked a MVP or an All-Star, he'd be at the top of the list.

"

During the team's first preseason game against the Patriots, the Packers targeted Adams seven times, and he caught three passes for 17 yards. He received the most targets of any wide receiver, even though he played the same amount of snaps (33) as both Nelson and Cobb, per Pro Football Focus.

Given that no player has emerged as a clear No. 1 tight end for the Packers, expect Adams to be a frequent target for Rodgers in 2015, especially when opponents game-plan to take Nelson away.

Projected 2015 Impact Meter: High