Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams leaving no doubt he’s the NFL’s best
Davante Adams is proving to the Green Bay Packers and everyone else his place in the league.
Elite wide receivers are dominating in what seems like every game of every week. But Davante Adams is doing it better than anyone for the Green Bay Packers. Adams is having the best season of his NFL career and he’s looking like the clear-cut best receiver in the league while doing so.
Adams checks every box for playing his position at an extremely high level. He generates yards after the catch at an elite level, producing 586 yards in 2020, while Aaron Rodgers’ quarterback rating when targeting him an out-of-this-world 135.1, per Pro Football Reference.
Though we can talk about stats all day long, like how he currently leads the league in touchdowns (17) as well as receiving yards per game (102.2), that would be a time-consuming exercise that tells us what we already know — Adams is an upper-echelon wide receiver. It’s better to look at how he succeeds, which all starts with his feet.
The Green Bay Packers have watched Davante Adams become the NFL’s best.
What makes the Fresno State product so dangerous is his ability to create separation off the line. During pre-snap, his foot alignment is no different than any other wideout. However, as soon as the ball is snapped, he takes a small skip and then widens his base.
In this motion, the corner needs to decide how he’ll play him by either staying inside or outside and whether he’ll try to jam him or give a cushion. Taking this read, Adams then adjusts accordingly and appears to “cross him up”, leaving the corner behind. Of course, this all happens in split-seconds.
On top of his unguardable release, Adams has proven to be the best route runner in the NFL. The aforementioned “crossover” move gives him an advantage in this department, undoubtedly a product of his time as a high school basketball standout. A slight head and shoulder fake along with an adjustment in his hips and he generates several yards of separation and creates a wide-open target for Rodgers to float the ball into.
Unlike most wide receivers in the league, Adams doesn’t partake in the overly common hand fighting at the line to beat the press. His feet are so angelic, all he needs is that one-two step to beat his guy.
His release and route-running are things that no other wide receiver could hope to be as proficient with as the Packers star. On top of this, Adams also possesses unbelievable hands. His hand strength on the ball gives him the ability to out-muscle any defensive back for a highlight-reel catch on any given play.
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You can match Davante Adams up with any corner in the game and they won’t be able to contain him. At the conclusion of the 2020 NFL season, Adams will earn his first All-Pro honors as he’s consistently been the most dominant wide receiver in the league all year long.