By Marques Eversoll

After an Aaron Rodgers pass to Jordy Nelson in the corner of the endzone fell incomplete thanks to tight coverage by Davon House, the Packers faced a 4th-and-1 in the two-minute portion of Wednesday’s practice. Linebacker Jamari Lattimore, who returned to practice after battling a stomach illness the past week, clearly voiced his approval of House forcing the fourth down.

“Look at him in the eyes,” Lattimore hollered at Nelson from the sideline. “He wants it.”

On the very next play, Rodgers lined up in the shotgun and found Bostick on a short stick route just inside the goal line for a short one-yard touchdown. It was a route that Jermichael Finley ran routinely throughout his tenure in Green Bay. But this time, Brandon Bostick was on the receiving end.

Bostick, the college wide receiver and former basketball player, is making a big for the starting job while Finley tries to battle back from neck surgery onto an NFL roster. Incumbent starter Andrew Quarless and third-round rookie Richard Rodgers provide Bostick’s primary competition this summer, and all three have gotten their fair share of run with the No. 1 offense.

But at Wednesday’s practice, Bostick made more plays and probably spent the most time with the first team.

“He’s bigger, stronger,” McCarthy said of Bostick after Wednesday’s practice. “He needs to stay healthy. That’s kind of been what’s gotten in (Bostick’s) way. I mean, we’ve always been excited about his progress. He’s just had some setbacks.”

Throughout practice, Bostick made catch after catch. The fourth-down catch in the two-minute portion was a great ball from Rodgers in tight coverage, but nonetheless, Bostick made the play.

The defense hung their heads, the offense celebrated. Bostick nearly spiked the ball but stopped himself, as if to say, “It doesn’t count … yet.”

Richard Rodgers, the rookie out of California, has probably been the most consistent tight end so far in camp. He’s got a thick lower body that could help him become a reliable blocker in the running game, and he’s flashed sure hands throughout the team’s first two padded practices. Like Bostick, Rodgers isn’t shying away from the competition.

“It’s good to have a healthy competition in the tight end group,” Richard Rodgers said. “Everyone’s just excited to play and get the pads on and really get in the offense.”

Of all the tight ends, Bostick is the most similar to Finley in terms of stretching the field and possessing an impressive height-weight-speed combination for the position. Finley made strides in run blocking over the past couple years, and McCarthy says Bostick can do the same thing.

“He has that kind of ability to play on the line,” McCarthy said. “He can run. He can stretch vertically. He’s still kind of a young player based on experience, and he just needs to detail his work. I think he’s done an excellent job coming off his injury, and he’s got himself ready.”