National media and fans alike gave the Green Bay Packers front office relatively good reviews for its overall 2021 NFL Draft.

While the Packers and their draft class wasn’t the biggest news for the organization over the weekend – that title belongs to a certain disgruntled MVP quarterback – the Packers did better their roster for the upcoming season.

Green Bay bolstered up on offensive linemen, drafted for their biggest needs and, along the way, managed to pick up a few players who should contribute early.

My favorite pick of the nine players drafted? Third round wide receiver Amari Rodgers.

The Clemson product is exactly what the Packers have been missing in the passing game since releasing aging veteran Randall Cobb a few years ago.

A 5 feet, 10 inch pass-catcher, Rodgers should be a perfect candidate to play in the slot. His speed, quickness and play-making ability is why the Packers were so high on him. They traded up from pick No. 92 to pick No. 85 to select him in the third round.

Although typically General Manager Brian Gutekunst isn’t known for drafting smaller receivers, he went out of his comfort zone to make the pick here.

“He filled so many holes for us,” Gutekunst said. “That’s one of the reasons why we traded up for him.”

Gutekunst went on to talk about just how versatile Rodgers could be in his time at Green Bay. We could see Head Coach Matt LaFleur use him in a variety of ways on offense, similar to how he used Tyler Ervin and Tavon Austin. However, Rodgers is much more of a vertical threat in the passing game compared to those two.

Capable of running smooth routes and putting defenders on their heels, Rodgers will undoubtedly become a favorite target for whoever the quarterback may be under center in the fall.

Outside of what he could be used for on offense, there’s a good chance we see Rodgers returning punts and kicks – in an attempt to give Green Bay’s rollercoaster special teams units some consistency.

In 2020, he caught 77 passes for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns for Clemson. Could we see similar numbers for Green Bay? Time will tell.

For now, Rodgers provides some depth at the receiver position. The pick also lets Green Bay fans finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Gutekunst heard you. He drafted a weapon.

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Gunnar Davis is a lifelong Packers fan and a recent graduate of Simpson College, where he was a 3-year letterwinner on the offensive line and graduated with a degree in multimedia communications. You can follow him on Twitter at @Gunnar57Davis.

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