2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: WR Amari Rodgers, Clemson
WR AMARI RODGERS
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 211 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Clemson
Son of football coach and former NFL player Tee Martin. Amari Rodgers was a four star recruit out of Knoxville, Tennessee where he attended Knoxville Catholic High School. He was born and mostly raised in Mobile, Alabama - the home of the Reese’s Senior Bowl...an event where he performed exceptionally well.
Rodgers was a big part of Clemson’s offense. Recorded 181 total catches for 2144 yards and 15 touchdowns. Had 77 catches for 1022 yards and 7 touchdowns during his 2020 season where he earned First Team All-ACC by most major outlets. He also finished as a Biletnikoff finalist for one of the top receivers in the nation. Was also an excellent kick and punt returner.
Notables
Won the Brandon Streeter Award in 2019 which highlights a student athlete for both on and off the field accomplishments that surround overcoming an injury.
Suffered a torn ACL in spring football during the 2019 season, but was able to get back on the field by week two, which is just insane. Rodgers is heralded for his character, work ethic, and leadership.
Traits
There’s a lot of Sterling Shepard vibes with a player like Amari Rodgers. He’s undersized but has good weight and excellent contact balance. His very good athletic ability is apparent with his acceleration, flexibility with his movements, lateral quickness, balance, and burst. Rodgers is a very smart weapon who would likely be a slot receiver at the next level.
Rodgers is a quality weapon underneath, and he has enough deep speed to challenge good cornerbacks vertically. he put his impressive skill-set on display down in Mobile at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
- Find all of Nick Falato's draft profile scouting reports in one centralized location.
He releases off the line of scrimmage with quick feet and uses his hands well, but his play strength in this area is adequate at best. Has the releases, from an athletic and experience standpoint, to win versus press. Still, good cornerbacks can deter his ability to release (most of the time, he’s off the line of scrimmage anyway, allowing him to have better releases).
Crisp route runner can stop instantaneously and turn in tight quarters--his flexibility is evident in his routes, as is his quality footwork. He has quite a few manufactured touches in Clemson’s offense but showed nuance with his routes in other areas (similar to Elijah Moore with Ole Miss).
The route tree isn’t expansive, so it’s safe to say that it’s a “projection” that he’ll master some of these routes, but I did see subtleties through the routes he was asked to run.
He dropped too many balls in 2020 for my liking (6) and made impressive strong hand catches over the middle of the field through traffic. Lack of length, size, and physicality at the catch point does not help him win big or climb the ladder over defenders like his teammate Cornell Powell. With that said, I like Rodgers more as a prospect, even though he’s going to be a slot.
Rodgers is quick with the football in his hands, explosive with the angle, and he’s challenging to bring down. He’s low, compact, and strong when running with momentum. His speed is solid, and he displays excellent spatial awareness against zone coverage. He’s a smart football player, and it’s not a surprise that his father is Tee Martin.
Overall, Rodgers will be a very good slot receiver in the NFL. He’s quick and shifty in space, shows nuance on the routes he was asked to run in college, and he plays with a high level of mental processing.
His problem is his lack of size and length which doesn’t allow him to thrive in contested catch situations. Had an excellent Senior Bowl where his concentration ability was on display, and he certainly vaulted himself into the Day 2 conversation if, for whatever reason, he wasn’t already there.
What's next for the Giants this off-season? Sign up for our FREE newsletter for all the latest, and be sure to follow and like us on Facebook. Submit your questions for our mailbag. And don't forget to check out the daily LockedOn Giants podcast, also available for subscription wherever you find podcasts.
