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          Packers position preview: Plenty of receivers for Aaron Rodgers

          • Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterJul 22, 2015, 11:00 AM
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              Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA. You can follow him on Twitter at @RobDemovsky.
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          GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Between now and the Green Bay Packers' first training camp practice on July 30, we will break down each position group.

          Next up, receivers.

          Returning players: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Jared Abbrederis (injured reserve), Myles White (practice squad).

          Gone from last season: Kevin Dorsey (injured reserve), Alex Gillet (practice squad).

          New this season: Ty Montgomery (third-round pick), Adrian Coxson (rookie free agent), Javess Blue (rookie free agent), Larry Pinkard (rookie free agent), Ricky Collins (rookie free agent), Jimmie Hunt (rookie free agent).

          Position coach: Alex Van Pelt (first season as quarterbacks/receivers coach. Previously coached quarterbacks in 2014, and running backs in 2012-13).

          Biggest issue: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has so many weapons that he might have trouble keeping all of them happy. When the Packers re-signed Cobb to a four-year, $40 million contract in March, it ensured Rodgers would have his top-three receivers (Nelson, Cobb and Adams) back for this season. Nelson (98 catches) and Cobb (91) both set career highs for receptions last season. Meanwhile, Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy raved this offseason about Adams, who had two 100-yard games last season as a rookie. Plus, general manager Ted Thompson surprisingly used a third-round pick on another receiver, Montgomery, making the position even deeper.

          Player to watch: Janis flashed all kinds of speed last summer, catching two touchdowns in the preseason and making several eye-catching plays in practice, but then rarely played as a rookie. He needed a year to learn the finer points of route running after coming from the Division II level but appears to have made significant progress toward gaining the trust of the coaches and the quarterback after getting increased reps with the starters this offseason.

          Medical report: Janis' snaps with the starters were the result of Nelson sitting out most of organized team activities and minicamp practices following hip surgery shortly after last season ended. Nelson said he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.

          Help wanted: With the top-three receiver spots likely set, the competition should be fierce for the last two or three spots. In addition to Abbrederis, Janis and White, the Packers think they have one of their best classes of undrafted rookie receivers, and Collins might be the best of that bunch.

          Quotable: "Davante, if you wanted me to pick an MVP or an all-star [of the offseason] he would definitely be atop the list," McCarthy said during last month's minicamp. "If you want a clear illustration and example of a first-year player taking a jump in his second year, you just saw it here the last four weeks."

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