The NFL Draft is less than a month away. NFL teams are working around the clock to set up their “big boards”. General managers are making sure they know everything there is to know about each prospect they might be targeting. Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and his scouting staff are no exception. Their roster has holes they need to fill. We have already highlighted a couple of areas that must be addressed. However, there is one position the Packers seem to be set at. Don’t expect the Green Bay Packers draft to include a high draft selection on a wide receiver.
Wide Receiver Won’t Be High on the Green Bay Packers Draft List
In the 13 seasons, Ted Thompson was in charge of the Green Bay Packers draft, he never used a first-round selection on a wide receiver. That streak has continued with Gutekunst. It appears the streak will also stay intact in this year’s NFL Draft.
While Thompson never used a first-round selection on a wide receiver, he did hit big on the position in the second round. Thompson selected standout wide receivers like Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams in the second round of the NFL Draft. All of them went on to be major pieces in the Packers’ offensive success.
Gutekunst is hoping to have the same type of success that Thompson had. Currently, the Packers have two wide receivers that Gutekunst has selected in the second round, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. Watson has flashed big-play potential but has been held back due to injuries. Reed was an instant success in 2023. His play was so impressive that some believe that Reed is the Packers’ best wide receiver on the roster.
Watson and Reed are a part of a Packers wide receiver group that not only provides talent but also depth. That depth is the reason the Packers won’t look early at wide receivers in this year’s NFL Draft.
A Young Talented Deep Group for Love
In 2011, the third season with Aaron Rodgers as the Packers starting quarterback, the Packers fielded one of the most talented group of wide receivers the franchise has ever had. Jennings, Nelson, and Cobb were a part of that group, young pass catchers who were able to grow with Rodgers. Fast forward to the present, Gutekunst is hoping to be doing the same thing for Jordan Love. That be providing him with young pass catchers who have talent that can grow with Love. If last season is any gauge, it looks like Gutekunst has succeeded.
The rookie Reed was the leader of the group in 2023. He finished the season with 64 receptions for 793 yards with eight touchdown receptions. Romeo Doubs, a second-year player drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, had 59 receptions for 674 yards with also eight touchdown receptions. While Reed was the leader, Doubs was Love’s go-to receiver when the Packers required a big play.
Another young wideout who was a major part of the Packers’ 2023 offensive success was an unexpected one. Dontayvion Wicks, a fifth-round rookie, surprised many with his 2023 success. Wicks chipped in 39 catches for 581 yards with four touchdown receptions. With Watson out most of the season with a hamstring injury, it was Wicks who stepped in and contributed.
Reed, Doubs, and Wicks all had success in 2023 and all three are expected to contribute even more in 2024. If Watson can get his hamstring issues under control, he will help make the Packers wide receiver group even more dangerous. All four make it doubtful that Gutekunst and the Packers will spend a high draft choice on wide receiver but so will the bottom of the depth chart.
Talent at the Bottom of the Depth Chart
The top four wide receivers aren’t the only reason it is doubtful the Packers draft will include a high-round draft pick. The bottom of the Packers wide receiver depth chart also will make that highly unlikely.
Bo Melton, Malik Heath, and Samori Toure, the Packers’ bottom three wide receivers, combined to have 39 catches for 421 yards with two touchdown receptions. Melton, who was signed off the Packers practice squad during the season, was quite the find. Not only did he make some big catches, but he displayed top-end speed, something the Packers were missing without Watson.
Heath, who made the team as an undrafted free agent, provided a big body. He became a key part of the Packers’ special teams. His limited success in the passing attack, and his part on special teams, will make it tough for Toure to even make the 2024 roster. Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur were very high on Toure, a seventh-round pick in 2022, heading into last season. But with the success of Melton and Heath, it will be difficult to earn a roster spot in 2024.
The Right Type of Wide Receiver
While it is doubtful that Gutekunst will spend high draft capital on wide receiver, there is a chance that he will look for the right type of pass catcher in the mid to late rounds. There is one draft prospect that might fit what Gutekunst and LaFleur are looking for.
Rice’s Luke McCaffrey could be the type of weapon that could make LaFleur even more creative as a play-caller. The one-time Nebraska quarterback spent several seasons at Rice learning the wide receiver position. With 4.46 speed, McCaffrey can be utilized in the slot as well as out of the backfield as a running back. With Reed becoming such a key part of the passing attack, LaFleur could utilize McCaffrey as an option on the Packers’ jet sweeps.
Luke McCaffrey also has the bloodline a lot of NFL teams look for. His Dad Ed McCaffrey was a longtime wide receiver for the Denver Broncos and his brother Christian McCaffrey currently plays for the San Francisco 49ers and is one of the best running backs in the NFL.
Main Photo: Mark Hoffman?Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK
