Amari Rodgers will catch Matt Nagy eye in 2021 NFL draft
Amari Rodgers is the son of former NFL quarterback Tee Martin. He grew up in Knoxville, where Martin won a National Championship in college but found his way to Clemson as a wide receiver prospect. Now, he is entering the NFL draft after a strong four-year career.
Rodgers saw limited snaps as a freshman but was instilled in the Clemson offense by his sophomore year. He tore his ACL, but only missed one game as a junior, despite a drop in numbers. Still, his stock really took off with an excellent 2020 campaign that led to over 1,000 yards followed by a strong Senior Bowl and Pro Day as well. Where has that moved the stock of Amari Rodgers in the NFL draft and will the Chicago Bears be interested?
Amari Rodgers College Stats
Below you can see his college stats.
Traits that Amari Rodgers can bring to the NFL
Amari Rodgers Is built like a running back and Is short and thick with power in his lower body to bounce off of tackles. In ways, he was used as a running back as his average depth of target was seven yards downfield, and he had eight yards after the catch per reception.
His ability to shrug off tackles and dance and scoot for extra yards after the catch is hard to deny. As a route runner he is quick and shifty, but at his best when he plants his foot hard one way and then bursts into open space in the opposite direction. His change of direction is pretty strong. Rodgers isn’t a burner downfield, but he has my ball mentality and he tracks the ball well enough that he can be trusted with more extensive downfield routes as well.
Where Amari Rodgers can improve in the NFL
His route tree is a bit limited, and he was mostly trusted to run drags or screens and work after the catch. A lot of it was created for him. He has never seen consistent press coverage and does not work well at recognizing the soft spots in zone coverage. Beyond that, he can be known for dropping the easy ones. While he tracks the ball well, he does not have a wide catch radius due to his compact build.
There has even been talk about moving him to a pass-down running back in the NFL.
NFL Comparison for Amari Rodgers
Amari Rodgers was able to participate in his Pro Day at Clemson so we were able to see his physical and athletic profile. What is funny is that with most players, once you see their measurables, you start to really understand how they fit in the NFL, but with Rodgers, you see that he compares much more favorably to an NFL running back than a wide receiver from a size perspective.
In fact, not only from size but on film, you can see some Duke Johnson, who he does profile similarly to. The two have that quick wiggle and ability to plant their foot and explode. Johnson is the definition of a receiving back, but Rodgers is more of a receiver who can be a back.
Deebo Samuel is a bit more explosive, but when you combine the size and play style, is the type of player and usage you may expect. Deebo Samuel does not have an advanced route tree and is schemed targets in short spaces to work after the catch.
Does Amari Rodgers fit with Chicago Bears?
Amari Rodgers is exactly the type of player that Matt Nagy looks for. Versatility is his key phrase, and he would be very excited at the different ways that he can utilize Rodgers. Rodgers could also kill a few birds with one stone. While Cordarelle Patterson may be leaving in free agency, they still need help at running back.
No one is saying Rodgers is a running back, but he could fill in the Patterson role. He could also help replace Anthony Miller, or at least start to push him out the door.
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Rodgers would mainly work out of the slot, and with his lateral ability combined with Darnell Mooney’s vertical ability, it should open up much more of the field for Allen Robinson.
Rodgers is undersized and a bit role-specific. He also would need to go to a team with creativity. This could cause him to fall into the day three range where Chicago takes a stab at a talented wide receiver.