Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has shared his assessment of the performance of two rookie receivers, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Romeo Doubs opened at +10000 to win Offensive Rookie Of The Year, and is now down to +1400 after his strong performance.
Both Watson and Doubs gained Rodgers’ attention for their performance in practice and their rapid rate of improvement. The talented rookies have strong records from their time in college football. Watson has played 52 games with 105 receptions, 2,139 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. Doubs, on the other hand, has 225 receptions with 3,322 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns over 43 games.
Watson’s performance
Rodgers said he was optimistic regarding Watson’s performance and future growth. The quarterback praised the rookie’s performance and enthusiasm for training, saying Watson was not afraid to ask questions and learn.
“Thought he was pretty good yesterday, thought he was pretty good today. He asks a lot of questions, he cares about it, he comes over and tries to get on the same page,” said Rodgers.
He highlighted Watson’s approach and mentality, saying that the rookie just needed more training and experience to become a force on the field.
“I enjoy his approach. He’s got a different skill set. He’s a big body who can run. Just got to get him a little more consistent tracking the ball down the field… The thing that I’ve seen with him is just mentally, the improvement from day to day,” added Rodgers.
Rodgers continued to explain a moment where Watson stepped up and performed excellently.
“Yesterday, we did a kind of spur-of-the-moment adjustment in a period and I told him what to do in the huddle, and it’s something he’s never done before and he went out and did it perfectly,” said Rodgers. “It’s those little things like that start to gain that trust and confidence that gets you excited about things.”
Doubs’ performance
Rodgers said he had high expectations of Doubs. He insisted believes that the rookie receiver was capable of much more than the average NFL rookie, and the team would continue to push Doubs for the rookie to reach his potential.
“I think the standard for him is not going to be maybe the standard for a normal rookie that we’ve had here in the past four to five years. He’s going to be expected to play based on his performance so far in camp. So we’ve got to hold him to a standard that I know he’s capable of reaching,” said Rodgers.
He also praised Doubs’ mentality towards training and football in general, saying that the rookie was a “great kid” who cared a lot about the game. Rodgers also praised Doub’s intuition and talent for the sport.
“He’s made some plays that you can’t really coach… It gives you confidence that he’s capable of doing some things…,” said Rodgers.
Fans of the Packers are hopeful regarding the current team’s offensive prospects as Green Bay is looking to make the Super Bowl again. The team has a strong roster with Rodgers as a quarterback, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon as running backs, and access to other talented receivers such as Sammy Watkins and Allen Lazard.
