With the (assumed) departure of Jermichael Finley, the Packers needed to address the tight end position in this year's NFL Draft.

Experts projected Richard Rodgers asfifth or sixth round pick, the Packers used the second of their two third round picks on the 6'4", 257-pound tight end out of California. 

While some scoffed at the pick and felt that Green Bay reached too high to get Rodgers, the Packers and Ted Thompson may end up having the last laugh.

With the absence of Andrew Quarless at OTA's and minicamp, Rodgers had the chance to state his case for the starting tight end spot. Granted, all activities so far have been without pads or meaningful contact, but he's still managed to catch the eye of the coaching staff with his athleticism and some magnificent catches.

Mike McCarthy said that Rodgers has been "very productive" thus far and added, "I just think he’s a natural in space. I’m excited to see him when we get into the in-line work into training camp, but as far as all of the movement, playing in space, picking up the scheme, I think Richard’s off to a very good start."

Even quarterback Aaron Rodgers has weighed in on the tight end's showing so far. "It’s helmets and shorts, but you’ve got to be excited about his body type and the hands. He’s made some incredible catches. He makes it look easy.

I think he's really going to push for some playing time if he can transfer what he has done in the spring to the fall and have the potential to be an impact player."

While the catches may be spectacular, Rodgers is still going to have to focus on route-running and blocking in the upcoming months if he wants to see major time on the field come September. If he can make progress in those areas, Thompson may have found yet another draft day miracle.

Here we see every offensive snap from Rodgers' game against Stanford last fall. See what you think of the third rounder's technique and play-to-play consistency.