Packers select WR Amari Rodgers after trading up to 85th pick of 2021 NFL Draft

Finally, the Green Bay Packers traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft. And finally, the Packers used a top-100 pick on a wide receiver for the first time in five years.

Green Bay has moved up from the 92nd pick to the 85th selection, using that pick to select wide receiver Amari Rodgers from Clemson University.

Rodgers is a thickly-built player who will likely line up in the slot for the Packers. At 5-foot-9-1/2 and 212 pounds, Rodgers is a bit in the mold of a Deebo Samuel, the San Francisco 49ers’ intriguing slot receiver. Rodgers’ 4.51-second 40-yard dash will not blow anyone away, but he has enough athleticism and route-running skills to make it in the NFL as a secondary receiving option with some backfield versatility.

Rodgers’ finest receiving season came this past fall, when he caught 77 passes for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. Additionally, Rodgers has return ability, particularly on punts. He was Clemson’s primary punt returner in 2018 and 2019, taking one return back for a score as a sophomore and averaging about eight yards per return for his career.

Ironically, if not for Thursday’s reporting around a certain Packers quarterback, a Rodgers-to-Rodgers connection would have seemed a sure thing for this fall.

In the trade, the Packers gave up the 92nd overall selection and the first of their two fourth-round picks (#135) to move up to the 85th pick. They now are scheduled to have six selections on day three of the draft, starting with pick 142 in round four.