National Football Post's Matt Bowen has two recent posts on the Green Bay Packers, and they're somewhat related. First he takes a look at what their 2nd round pick, WR Randall Cobb, could bring next season. While Bowen thinks the Packers could get creative, I don't expect we'll see anything different when Cobb is on the field. He also thinks they can attack the middle of the field with Cobb, just as the Packers do with other receivers. From Matt Bowen:
Inside the numbers: The first thing you do with a talent like Cobb. Get him matched up inside vs. a Nickel CB or even a FS that rolls down from the middle of the field working against Cover 1.
While WR James Jones showed glimpses of what he could do in the middle of the field, Cobb could become a big weapon inside the numbers as the slot receiver.
In his second post, Bowen shows what a dangerous slot receiver can do, when WR Jordy Nelson runs past the entire Giants defense:
No different here as the CB looks in the backfield at the mesh-point on the inside run action and immediately loses leverage on Nelson. Bottom line, he is beat at the snap all because of his eye placement. Take care of your job first, and in this case, that means playing trail-man on Nelson.
This one is all on S Antrel Rolle. He's looking in the backfield on the play action, but if he had been a few yards deeper, he might have been able to make a play. The defensive back has to keep the receiver in front of him, or keep up with him in coverage. But on this play, Rolle allows Nelson behind him right away, before FS Deon Grant can react, which allows QB Aaron Rodgers to throw the pass in stride after Nelson is behind all the defensive backs.
Cobb can do the same thing as Nelson, if the scheme allows him to get open with some room to work. He won't bring anything new to the Packers. He'll bring the same dangerous runner in the open field as the Packers have already in Nelson and WR Greg Jennings. But he will give them more mismatches in multiple receiver sets, as Nelson had against Rolle.