The Packers’ Davante Adams runs after a catch during the first half of an NFC divisional playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Green Bay, Wis. (AP photo)

The Green Bay Packers wide receiver wasn’t a five-star recruit. He wasn’t the biggest, fastest or most athletic. He wasn’t even a football player until late in his high school career.

But the two-time Pro Bowler has worked himself into being Aaron Rodgers’ top option and is one win away from playing in his first Super Bowl. Adams and the Packers will face the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC championship game, just a few miles from his native Palo Alto, California.

“I’m trying not to (freak out),” Adams said on Wednesday. “But, I mean, we’re all excited in here.”

Adams, who caught two touchdowns and had a franchise playoff-record 160 yards in a win over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday in the NFC divisional round, now must face one of the top defenses in the NFL and one of the league’s best cornerbacks.

Stacey Dales, right, interviews Packers wide receiver Davante Adams after a game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 15 in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 21-13. (AP file photo)

“Well, I mean, it doesn’t change, really,” Adams said on facing Richard Sherman. “He’s definitely a great player, and people have said a lot about whether he’s fell off or what not and I don’t see that. I see that he’s still the same guy, still making plays.”

Sherman’s 35 interceptions since entering the league in 2011 are the most among active players during that span. The 31-year-old is looking to make his third Super Bowl appearance after being one of the key parts to the Seahawks’ back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Though Sherman’s resume is longer than Adams’, the respect between the two is mutual.

“He’s very good at beating man coverage,” Sherman said. “When guys that are hard to cover because of their quickness, their feet, their size and their hands, it’s tough in the zone. They’ve got a good quarterback who gets the ball in the right spot. Davante’s definitely their best guy beating man to man.”

What makes Adams special is his release off the line of scrimmage. It’s a skill he acquired during his years as a basketball player and one that he works tirelessly every day to master.

“I’d say obsession is a good word for it,” he said. “… I don’t know at which point exactly it turned into that, but once I started realizing I could lose people at the line of scrimmage and essentially run a route on air, I figured that that was the way to go. So I just put a lot into that and obviously I made it a big part of who I am as a football player.”

Since Green Bay drafted Adams in the second round in 2014 out of Fresno State, the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder has grown from being Rodgers’ third or fourth option behind the likes of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb to one of the most productive pass catchers in the league.

Rodgers said what has changed most about Adams in their six seasons together is Adams’ ability to use his mind to his advantage.

“Because he’s made certain plays throughout the year where him and I have had conversations either on the sidelines or in the locker room after the game and he will bring up certain plays from previous games or previous years,” Rodgers said.