Richard Rodgers, TE Green Bay Packers Rookie Fantasy Spotlight
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

We see Packers General Manager, Ted Thompson, every year at the Senior Bowl. He’s a grinder who marches to the beat of his own drum, operating differently than the other GMs. He is always the very first evaluator to set up at the player’s hotel. His team of scouts is prospecting before representatives of other teams even arrive – and while everyone else is watching the conference championship games by the downstairs hotel bar – Thompson is interviewing prospects.

(Editor’s Note: It’s because he hates watching that damn “Tim Tall-bow,” Colin Kaepernick run all over the place.)

Thompson doesn’t always get it right, however he is extremely diligent. Perhaps his diligence paid off this time, surprising everybody by selecting unheralded rookie tight end Richard Rodgers in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Rodgers is an uber-athletic pass catcher, that somehow flew way under the radar in the Draftnik community. Primarily, because of durability concerns. Since Rodgers joined the team, numerous reviews out of Green Bay have already been glowing. Rodgers was thought of by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as the MVP of OTAs and was praised consistently by QB Aaron Rodgers.

RosterWatch was told back in January at the Senior Bowl by Packers insiders, and contrary to the myriad of muddled reports that have come out since then, that TE Jermichael Finley was always a longshot to play football again, and even a longer shot to return to Green Bay. Their doctors don’t like neck issues and have bad luck with them in the past. It’s no coincidence Thompson identified his next athletic, pass-catching tight end – and pulled the trigger for him early in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The sneaky piece of information about Rodgers is that his father, Richard Sr., is very well-respected in the football community and is the current special teams coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. And trust us, that fact was not lost on Thompson or his coaching staff. Rodgers has been preparing for the NFL his whole life, and is prepared for a smooth and quick transition into not only the Packers offense but also the lifestyle of football as a profession.

Rodgers is currently situated on a depth chart behind shitty uninspiring players such as Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick and Ryan Taylor – needless to say, we expect a quick ascension for Rodgers. His situation will be one to watch closely throughout training camp. There will likely be a strong argument to draft Rogers as a TE2 in 2014 redraft fantasy leagues. He is a must-own rookie in Dynasty leagues, where we expect big-time production by year two. Buying stock in a prolific Aaron Rodgers offense is never a bad idea.