Donald Driver

While the 36-year old Driver claims he wants to play until he's 40, his body may have other plans. Despite playing with Aaron Rodgers, Driver managed a measly 6.6 YPT and 11.1 YPC, both huge drop-offs from his typically strong per-play stats. Some of that might have been due to quad and hand injuries, so a short-term bounce back is certainly possible, but at his age, overall decline is inevitable. He's strictly a possession receiver now without red-zone size, and his upside is accordingly limited even in one of the best offensive environments in the league.

For the second straight season, the seemingly ageless Driver put up outstanding numbers with Aaron Rodgers under center. The 35-year-old receiver averaged 9.5 yards per target (5th among the league’s 28 100- target receivers) and 15.2 yards per catch. He hauled in 63 percent of the passes thrown his way, and took five passes for 40-plus yards (tied for 10th). At 6-0, 185, Driver’s never been much of a red-zone threat, and last year was no exception — just 12 of his 112 targets were from that area of the field. Driver’s not a burner, but he’s got adequate speed, excellent athleticism and quickness in and out of his breaks. Greg Jennings should be the team’s primary home run threat again, and Jermichael Finley (17 redzone targets in 13 games) its first option from in close, but Driver should have another solid season or two as Aaron Rodgers go-to possession guy.

Brett Favre’s favorite target the last few years had little trouble adjusting to the Aaron Rodgers era. At 33, Driver put up per-play numbers reminiscent of his finest seasons – in fact, his 8.8 yards per target (11th) was the best number of his career, and his 13.7 yards per catch was nearly in line with his 2004-06 prime. A decline in total targets (115, 25th) was the only reason Driver’s total output failed to reach peak levels. Of course, with the emergence of Greg Jennings as one of the league’s top big-play wideouts, that trend is unlikely to reverse. At 6-0, 185 Driver’s never been much of a red-zone threat – and that was when they actually used to throw to him there. Last season, he saw just 11 red-zone targets, though six of those were from inside the 10 (three scores). But even at his advanced age, Driver was able to gash opponents down the field (his six catches of 40-plus tied him for 6th). He’s not a true burner, but he’s got decent speed, exceptional athleticism and good quickness in and out of his breaks. Although he turned 34 in February, we expect Driver again to have a prominent role as the Packers’ No. 2 receiver.

From Sterling Sharpe to Robert Brooks to Antonio Freeman, Brett Favre's always outlasted his favorite receivers. But this time, it's Driver who has to look for a new battery-mate. At 33, Driver can still get down the field – he had four catches of 40-plus and 14 for more than 20 (putting him in the top-20 on both counts). But Driver saw mostly short looks as indicated by his modest 12.8 yards per catch. That Driver was productive on a per-play basis (8.5 yards per target) was due to him hauling in 67 percent of the balls thrown his way. With Favre gone and Greg Jennings taking on the big-play role, there's not too much to get excited about here. Driver again saw more than his fair share of red-zone looks (17 in 15 games) but converted just two for scores. And this is nothing new. Driver's one of 11 receivers to have received 50-plus red-zone targets the last three seasons, and his 12 percent conversion rate is the lowest by far. (Reggie Wayne was second worst at 19 percent). In short, Driver should be decent possession option for Aaron Rodgers this season, but with moderate playmaking and poor red-zone skills, his upside is limited.

Driver quietly posted the sixth-best season among receivers in standard fantasy leagues last season. He was targeted 167 times (second) and 27 times in the red zone (second), but managed just four red-zone scores, two of which came on his four tries from inside the five-yard line. Driver converted just one of 16 red-zone looks for scores in 2005, and four of 19 in 2004, so don’t expect a big uptick in his conversion rate in 2007. That said, Driver broke 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth time in five seasons, and his solid route-running and status as quarterback Brett Favre’s favorite receiver make him a good bet to be among the league leaders in targets. At age 32, Driver still has the speed to get behind defenses (five catches of 40 yards or more), and he’s got an excellent vertical leap that allows him to go up and snatch the ball out of the air against smaller defenders. At 6-0, 190, Driver isn’t going to overpower anyone, but he’s not slight, either, and he’ll mix it up in traffic over the middle of the field. While second-year man Greg Jennings figures to play a bigger role, Driver should still be one of the more heavily targeted wideouts in the league this season. Just keep in mind that Driver’s not getting any younger, and his quarterback isn’t the player he used to be.

Driver broke 1,000 yards receiving for the third time in four seasons last year and 1,200 for the second in a row. Oddly enough Javon Walker’s season-ending injury affected Driver’s numbers only in the touchdown department, and not in the way you might expect – Driver scored four less touchdowns in 2005 as Green Bay’s No. 1 target. Despite being targeted in the red zone 16 times last year, Driver converted just one pass for a score after converting a modest 4-of-19 in 2004. Contrast that with 2005 teammate Antonio Chatman who converted half of his eight red-zone targets for touchdowns. With Walker now in Denver, it’s reasonable to expect more of the same. Like last season, Driver should be among the more targeted receivers in the NFL, and given the state of the Packers defense, Green Bay should be expected to throw a lot. At 6-0, 188, Driver isn’t going to overpower defensive backs, but he’s got enough speed to get downfield, and he’s quick enough to make defenders miss after the catch. Driver’s not a great route runner, but he improved his focus in 2005 and cut his drops from 11 to five.

Driver bounced back from a disappointing 2003 campaign to equal or top his career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns last season. Driver was targeted 143 times, just three fewer than teammate Javon Walker, while giving Brett Favre a viable second option. And lest we write off Driver as a mere possession guy, consider he averaged 14.4 yards per catch and caught four passes of 40 yards or more. Driver isn’t going to overpower defensive backs at 6-0, 188 pounds, but he’s fast enough to get downfield and quick enough to make defenders miss after the catch. Driver’s not a great route runner and he’s prone to drops – his 11 drops tied him for second most in the league. Driver’s not much of a red-zone threat, either, converting just 4-of-19 throws from inside the 20. But with Walker occupying double-teams and Favre forced to throw early and often due to a substandard defense, Driver is a good bet to see plenty of passes thrown his way again this season.

Many Packer-backers think Driver should be ranked higher as an arguable No. 1 receiver. But Driver was targeted only 86 times last year and scored just twice. Driver is a bit undersized at about 180 pounds and lacks blazing speed. So he may yield the every-down jobs to Javon Walker and Robert Ferguson, both of whom are bigger and faster.

No receiver came further in 2002 than Driver -- he was fourth on the Green Bay depth chart at the beginning of camp, but he wound up as Brett Favre's No. 1 downfield target when the year was through (70 catches, 1,064 yards, nine touchdowns). The Packers apparently don't think it's a fluke, either, as they signed Driver to a five-year contract extension in late November. Driver's emergence was a little bit surprising given his skills -- he's got OK speed and just average hands -- but it becomes less surprising when you consider who he beat out (Terry Glenn, Robert Ferguson, Javon Walker). Bottom line, Driver will probably get the opportunity to match his 2002 stats, and that's the biggest thing -- opportunity. Whether he's actually good enough to contend for a Pro Bowl spot on a yearly basis remains to be seen.