Allison standing tall among rookie receivers
GREEN BAY - The most consistent receiver in Green Bay Packers training camp has been:
a) Jared Abbrederis
b) Davante Adams
c) Randall Cobb
d) Geronimo Allison
If you picked any of the first three, you haven’t spent enough time watching Allison, the undrafted free agent from Illinois, who through the first six practices has caught just about everything thrown his way and seemingly gained the confidence of his quarterbacks.
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The 6-3¼, 202-pound Allison is the tallest receiver on the roster and with 33-inch arms offers the Packers a different body type at the position. Scouts knocked him because of a lack of deep speed, but in training camp, he has caught a pass on just about every other kind of route he has run.
“He’s unique,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “If you look at the way he’s built, but also the twitch that he has and his ability to drop his weight, he’s off to a really good start. He’s definitely different than most guys we’ve had here.”
Allison is the rare eighth-, ninth- and 10th- string receiver who has gotten to play with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during 11-on-11 drills. His knack for being in the right place at the right time has earned him some trust from Rodgers and backup Brett Hundley.
Allison, who didn’t play high school football as a junior or senior and attended Iowa Western Community College for two years, said he has kept his nose in the playbook since he arrived and has listened to and watched the veterans to improve his knowledge base.
“Football is football,” Allison said. “You learn as much as you can and you continue to try to learn more. That’s kind of how I’ve been taught. I’ve always been a student of the game. It’s important to learn from other players and learn from your mistakes.”
The more Allison produces the more opportunities he’ll get to run routes for Rodgers. He signed with Green Bay because he heard they gave undrafted rookies a legitimate chance to make the roster. So far, he’s giving them a legitimate reason to keep an eye on him.