As general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters before the Green Bay Packers’ seventh training camp practice on Wednesday, rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs is off to a “great start.”
But the thing about Doubs’ fast start that has Gutekunst particularly excited is that he is showcasing what the Packers saw on film during his time at Nevada, which is that he can win in a variety of ways.
Whether he’s been lined up out wide or on the boundary, Doubs has spent the last week making plays and doing so in all parts of the field.
Doubs came out of Nevada as, what Gutekunst would call, one of the more “polished players coming out of college” in this year’s draft.
Over four seasons with the Wolfpack, Doubs was targeted 339 times while totaling 3,324 yards and 26 touchdowns. Doubs would run a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at his pro-day and was a very effective downfield target, finishing third among all collegiate receivers in deep receiving yards – or yards accumulated on passes that travel at least 20 yards. He also averaged nearly 18 yards per catch.
While that is certainly impressive, it’s also not as if that’s all Doubs could do either. In fact, he was utilized all over the field, with his most recent season being a prime example of that.
According to PFF, of Doubs 110 targets, 14 came behind the line of scrimmage. Another 40 came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, 31 were in the 10 to 19-yard range, and 25 that were considered deep – which overall is a fairly equal distribution.
Doubs would dominate over the middle of the field with 832 yards on 51 receptions, but roughly a third of this total yardage came outside the hash marks, illustrating that he can win on the perimeter as well, where he was efficient with his opportunities catching 22 of his 28 targets.
Doubs would also play a career-high 21% of his snaps in 2021 lined up in the slot, a position where Drae Harris of The Draft Network believes he can carve out a role in the NFL with his larger frame.
As you can see, the numbers showcase a player who has won at all levels of the field, as well as inside and out, which in large part comes from his ability to create separation and then pick up yards after the catch (YAC) – Doubs would rank 12th in total YAC in 2020 and 15th in YAC per catch.
“His very good and sudden speed immediately threatens a cornerback’s cushion in coverage, which affords him good separation in the intermediate areas of the field,” wrote Harris. “He easily takes hitches, smokes, and bubble screens for good yardage due to his ability as a strong runner with the football.”
As Gutekunst said, and as we all know, Doubs is off to a hot start in Packers training camp. As always, there is a lot that goes into the results, but his ability to win in all parts of the field as well as from the slot and the boundary – which we saw from him often at Nevada – are big reasons behind that early success.