The Green Bay Packers selected Stanford wide receiver Ty Montgomery with the 94th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and there is quite a bit of intrigue surrounding him. Ted Thompson and the Packers definitely didn’t need to bring another receiver on board, but they chose to anyway. Montgomery has been compared to a bigger Randall Cobb, and he has shown off some of those skills during his first NFL training camp.
Montgomery played his first NFL game with the Packers in Week 1 of the league’s preseason action against the New England Patriots. He caught two passes for 28 yards, and was relatively quiet. While he didn’t put up huge numbers, he did show off the speed and athleticism that excited Green Bay during the draft process.
Looking ahead at the 2015 season, the question begins to arise as to whether or not Montgomery can make an impact for the Packers in his rookie year.
Standing at 6-foot-0 and weighing in at 216 pounds, there is no question that Montgomery is a physical player. He is very aggressive going for the football, and he has excellent route running and a great pair of hands. Aaron Rodgers is always able to make his receivers better around him, and that was apparent last season with rookie receiver Davante Adams.
Finding a role behind Jordy Nelson, Cobb and Adams is going to be the biggest test for Montgomery. He definitely has the best shot to win the fourth receiver role, with Jeff Janis being the main competition that he has.
Predicting a rookies season is never easy, especially when they are in a situation like Montgomery is in. There is no question that he will get some playing time as the fourth receiver, but how many targets Rodgers will throw his way is unknown. Montgomery has quite a few aspects of his game that could impact the Packers this year, and one of them is on special teams.
At this point in time it appears that Montgomery has a good chance to be one of Green Bay’s returners. He has seen time at both kick and punt return, and can use his speed and physicality to make plays in that part of the game.
All of that being said, there is no question that Montgomery is capable of being an impact player for the Packers this year. He may be a rookie, but his athleticism and the Green Bay coaching staff will have him well prepared for his first NFL season. It is going to be interesting to see what kind of numbers he puts up, but he will be effective in whatever role they have for him offensively or on special teams.
