Could Amari Rodgers Join Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville?
With many questioning his functional ability outside as an NFL receiver, former Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers has proved more than once now what he can offer to a professional club.
Joining Kelly Gramlich and William Qualkinbush on the "Out of Bounds" show on 105.5 The Roar on Wednesday, Rodgers was reluctant to share teams that he's enjoyed talks with the most, as well as sharing the stress of draft preparation.
"I've been great, just pretty busy," Rodgers said. "To be honest, just a lot of training. As soon as I left Clemson, I went down to Miami for a couple of months for the Pro Day and Senior Bowl. Then after Pro Day, I was able to stay in Clemson for a couple of weeks to train and hang out.
"I felt like my Pro Day went great. I felt like I ticked all the boxes carrying over from the Senior Bowl performance. I just had to keep showing my consistency, and that was my goal going in, to have another great day, and keep having good days."
As the 2021 NFL Draft sits less than two weeks away, Rodgers' prior field general Trevor Lawrence is the consensus No. 1 overall pick to Jacksonville and has been for some time. While this isn't news, Rodgers quickly pointed out that the Jaguars seem interested in more than one Tiger ahead of April 29.
"If I were to say anybody right now (that I've liked a lot), it'd probably be the Jaguars," Rodgers said. "To be honest, they see me kind of as a Percy Harvin, so I like that comparison a lot.
"So I talked to them, had an interview with them this past week, and that went really well, but there's been a lot of teams that see me in that realm, as far as using me around like a Percy Harvin or Deebo Samuel. So I feel like most teams have the same mindset when it comes to me, and I've had great interviews. So there's been a lot of teams I feel great about for sure."
Minus a small number of snaps as a freshman and a transition in 2018 from Kelly Bryant to Lawrence at quarterback, Rodgers played virtually all of his meaningful moments on the field at Clemson with the presumed No. 1 pick, and it's no surprise the Jaguars are thinking of a reunion on draft night.
While the idea of a Tigers' reunion under Urban Meyer is more than plausible, Rodgers seemed to contain the inner excitement when he proposed the idea of playing with the Baltimore Ravens, where his father, Tee Martin, has recently been hired as the wide receivers coach.
"Yeah, it would be (cool to be in Baltimore); there is a chance always," Rodgers said. "(My father) hasn't really told me much of that situation; I'm just preparing anywhere I go; I just know I will be ready. But he's always telling me to prepare myself mentally.
"Challenge myself mentally right now because there's going to be a big load, as far as learning a big playbook, having to move and figure out where you're going to stay, and stuff like that. There's going to be a lot of stress and things that you have to do after the draft, so he is just saying, prepare myself mentally for everything that is about to happen. So that's really the best advice that he's given to me."
After an MVP season from quarterback Lamar Jackson two seasons ago, Baltimore took a massive step back in 2020, and Rodgers could be a perfect complement to third-year receiver Marquise Brown for a team desperately in need of more down-field threats.
Jacksonville remains hard to ignore nonetheless, and with Lawrence virtually stationed in Florida already, it's not farfetched anymore to think the Jaguars could attempt to grab all four projected Clemson draftees, including Travis Etienne and Jackson Carman.
"Yeah. (Jaguars reunion), that could happen," Rodgers said. "That'd be crazy. Actually, I was just talking to Jackson Carman yesterday, too, and he said that the Jaguars liked him a lot as well. So that'd be crazy if they were able to get all of us somehow on the same team, but you know, you never know. But that would be amazing for sure."
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