The Green Bay Packers had the most eventful draft week, right up until the 2021 NFL Draft started. Perpetually perturbed reigning MVP and superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly wants out of Green Bay, and the Packers aren’t cooperating. Some say this is a gambit to get the Packers to expend greater capital on a wide receiver corps around Aaron Rodgers. Well, that didn’t work. The Green Bay Packers didn’t take a piece of offensive weaponry until deep in the third round, when they gave A. Rodgers a new A. Rodgers. I’m sure that won’t be confusing, at all.
Overall, the Green Bay Packers took just two fantasy football-eligible players in the 2021 NFL Draft. What should we expect from Amari Rodgers and Kylin Hill in year one?
FULL GREEN BAY PACKERS DRAFT RESULTS
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | 29 | Eric Stokes | CB | Georgia |
| 2 | 62 | Josh Myers | C | Ohio State |
| 3 | 85 | Amari Rodgers | WR | Clemson |
| 4 | 142 | Royce Newman | OG | Ole Miss |
| 5 | 173 | Tedarrell Slaton | DT | Florida |
| 5 | 178 | Shemar Jean-Charles | CB | Appalachian State |
| 6 | 214 | Cole Van Lanen | OG | Wisconsin |
| 6 | 220 | Isaiah McDuffie | LB | Boston College |
| 7 | 256 | Kylin Hill | RB | Mississippi State |
Round 3, Pick 85: Amari Rodgers, Wide Receiver, Clemson (5’10 210 pounds)
Depth Chart:
WR1: Davante Adams
WR2: Allen Lazard
WR3: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR4: Amari Rodgers
TALENT
Amari Rodgers has a build more like a running back, which explains why he took RB reps at Clemon’s Pro Day. He could be the next in the new mold of players, who are more weapons than specific positions. Think Deebo Samuel, Antonio Gibson, or Curtis Samuel… or De’Anthony Thomas, or Lynn Bowden. If you want your team to get an alpha wide receiver, then you should look elsewhere. If you longingly watched Brandon Aiyuk on the 49ers last season and wanted your team to have someone like that, then that’s Amari Rodgers. He has almost no wide receiver instincts: no “my ball” mentality, no route running, nothing great to get off the press.
Rodgers still excels at catching balls, flashing some great hands on wide throws where he doesn’t fight anyone. But if you get the ball in his hands, you figure out exactly why and how he can be a huge force in the NFL and in fantasy football for years to come.
2021 OPPORTUNITY
Fantasy football twitter did the Leo DiCaprio point and snap meme and yelled “Randall Cobb role!” when the Green Bay Packers took Amari Rodgers. The truth, unfortunately, is that… that was a prior administration. The new-look Packers don’t really have a Randall Cobb role in their offense. Rodgers likely slots in as the team’s #4 wide receiver and gadget guy, but I’m not sure how many targets that converts to. At least, at first. Aaron Rodgers locks onto his guys—partially why Allen Lazard gets so much run—and the difference between Amari Rodgers getting a ton of opportunity and no opportunity likely lies with how well he clicks with Aaron.
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Keep an eye on Amari Rodgers. He should get some touches in various places on the field. But, don’t draft him in your standard league at any point outside of the last round of picks. There’s a lot between him and fantasy football production. That having been said, keep an eye on him. If he starts to get touch volume, then scoop him up and await the breakout.
TALENT
2021 OPPORTUNITY
2021 FANTASY OUTLOOK
Round 7, Pick 256 Overall: Kylin Hill, Running Back, Mississippi State (5’10” 214 pounds)
Depth Chart:
RB1: Aaron Jones
RB2: A.J. Dillon
RB3: Kylin Hill
TALENT
Hill is a straight up down-field runner who does his best work when he already has some space to get going. He doesn’t do a great job in traffic and broke down instead of accelerating past a would-be tackler outside traffic, suggesting processing issues. Hill’s best two traits are his open-field running and his pass blocking, and he has enough hands to stay on the field on passing downs. Hill slips tackles with ease but does not break as many as you would expect. He also has good speed but no second gear. In the NFL he seems best suited as a home run hitter/short-side of the platoon and third-down specialist.
Hill threatened to leave Mississippi State if they didn’t change their Confederate state flag, so he’s a cool dude, at least.
2021 OPPORTUNITY
Hill fell and fell and fell in the draft, angering every draft prognosticator out there who had him inside their top-seven at running back. Then, he fell to a particularly iffy landing spot. The Packers cleared out space for A.J. Dillon as the 1B to Aaron Jones’ 1A, right after giving Jones a big contract. The Hill pick feels like a pick of opportunity, rather than a pick of desire. The Packers sincerely hope he does not get enough run to matter in fantasy football circles because that means that Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon both went down.
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
If he is fantasy football relevant, go ahead and get him. He’s exceptionally athletic in a straight line but doesn’t do any sort of change-of-direction very well. If he gets some run, I don’t expect him to have sustained success. He’s best served as a waiver pickup desperation play in 12+ team leagues if you play your cards right.
TALENT
2021 OPPORTUNITY
2021 FANTASY OUTLOOK
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(Header Image Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/football-stadium-packers-569861/ by Jennifer Snyder, on Flickr under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
