Getty Amari Rodgers
Life can be tough on shorter receivers in the NFL. However, the ones who check-in under 5’10” who actually make an impact have a dog inside of them that helps to make up for any vertical challenges they possess.
One of the more notable recent examples of this is former Carolina Panthers great and Cam Newton teammate Steve Smith. Despite being listed at 5’9″, Smith had a 16-year career that saw him haul in 1,031 catches for 14,731 yards and 80 TDs.
While it is impossible to project any prospect will have that kind of a career in the NFL, Clemson’s Amari Rodgers is showing early signs of possessing the kinds of qualities that Smith used to have a borderline Hall-of-Fame career.
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Rodgers is Drawing Raves at the Senior Bowl
Despite standing 5’9″, Rodgers hasn’t had much of a problem creating separation against defensive backs at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama. You can see Rodgers winning a jump ball here on this rep and coming down with what would’ve been a touchdown.
As Frederick mentions in his tweet, Rodgers has been winning in this situation all week during the practices. NBC Sports’ Phil Perry offered a tad more insight on Rodgers after a promising week in front of NFL scouts.
Clemson’s Amari Rodgers is a name most will remember from the 2020 season. He’s one of the shortest receivers at the Senior Bowl (5-9) but he plays bigger than that, and at 211 pounds he has the ability to fight through contact both before and after the catch.
There won’t be an NFL Combine, but teams will get an opportunity to get a better look at players virtually during Pro Days. If Rodgers impresses in those environments, he could push himself into a position to be taken in the second or third round of the draft. This year’s crop of wide receivers is as good as the league has seen in years, so there will be no excuse for the Patriots to come away with an underwhelming player(s) from this group.
Offbeat Patriots Connection
Try this on for offbeat connections to Patriots lore.
Rodgers is the son of former Tennessee Volunteers legend and current assistant coach on the Vols’ staff, Tee Martin. Sure, Martin is one of the more legendary quarterbacks in college football history and he spent two rather uneventful years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders, but if you’re totally up on your meaningless Tom Brady trivia, you know Martin is a member of what has come to be known as the Brady 6 (Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spergon Wynn).
That’s the six quarterbacks taken ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Needless to say, like the other 5, Martin didn’t quite have the same impact as Brady in the NFL, but if the Patriots draft his son, they will be hoping to hit the jackpot again with what figures to be a later-round pick.