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GREEN BAY:
Richard Rodgers is an intriguing sleeper. He’s the rookie tight end they selected in the third round. He’s started all three of the preseason games. In the dress rehearsal game, he was the only tight end on the field for all of their plays on their first two drives, and he held up just fine, catching a couple of balls. It was the same deal at St. Louis; he was the only tight end on their opening drive. Rodgers has good receiving ability, but he’s also big enough to be an in-line blocking tight end. From the waist down, he looks like Alge Crumpler or Eric Green. There’s smarts involved with this offense (all three of those drives were of the no-huddle variety) and Rodgers seems to be holding up just fine. It’s just a shot-in-the-dark lottery-type pick; he really hasn’t done enough for anyone to say that he’ll be a top-15 tight end. But it’s possible. Jermichael Finley averaged 47 yards per game as a starter in this offense the last three years, with 13 TDs in 37 games. The other main contender for this job is Andrew Quarless. He didn’t do much as a starter last year, averaging fewer than 3 catches per game (with 2 TDs in 10 games). He’s more experienced but probably isn’t as talented as a pass catcher, and the Packers might view him as more of a backup. In neither of their last two exhibitions did he play at all on their first two series. Quarless made a nice catch on a touchdown late in the second quarter against Oakland, and they threw to him on the 2-point conversion (he was lined up as a wide receiver), resulting in a penalty. It’s close enough that we can’t rule out Quarless, but we think it will be Rodgers who’s the starting tight end. The Packers also have Brandon Bostick, who was in contention, but he might be out until October with a fractured fibula, so we’re removing him from our board. ... Jordy Nelson looks better than Randall Cobb. Cobb supposedly has had a so-so camp, and he dropped 2 balls against Oakland. Cobb should be fine; he just doesn’t look as good as Nelson, who may outproduce some of the more-heralded top-tier receivers. ... The general consensus is that there are four running backs in the top tier -- Charles, Peterson, McCoy and Forte -- but Eddie Lacy looks like he might crash that party. He’s in a good offense, he’s a really good power runner, and he’s a three-down running back. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the preseason. ... B.J. Raji has a torn biceps, which could be a key loss to Green Bay’s defense. At nose tackle, he’s their most important defender against the run. ... In the discussion of Green Bay’s wide receivers, don’t forget about Jarrett Boykin. This is predominantly a three-receiver team. Boykin was on the field for all 43 plays in the first half of the dress rehearsal game against Oakland. In the 10 games he started last year, Boykin operated at a pace that in 16 games would result in 74 catches, 1,000 yards and 5 TDs. That’s his upside (with Nelson and Cobb both healthy, he’s more likely to wind up with something like 700 yards).