Could the Green Bay Packers finally use a first-round draft pick on a receiver? GM Brian Gutekunst got an up-close-and-personal look at three possibilities. Here are the stats and Relative Athletic Scores.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka shows off his vertical jump in front of scouts at OSU’s pro day on Wednesday. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Everyone knows the history. The Green Bay Packers have not drafted a receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2002.

That was about a year-and-a-half before Texas receiver Matthew Golden was born. Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan was about a year from being born. Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, the old man of the group of receivers who Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst personally scouted over the last week, was 6 months old.

All three are expected to be first-round draft picks and would fill a major need. Gutekunst swears the team doesn’t have a policy against using a first-round pick on a receiver.

“I don’t think we’d ever hesitate to take a receiver in the first round if the right one was there,” he told a group of local beat writers at the Scouting Combine. “We certainly talked about it at different times in the last seven years since I’ve been in this spot, trying to make that happen.”

This could be the year. The Packers will start the season without Christian Watson. The only addition was Mecole Hardman, who had 90 receiving yards in 12 games last season.

Gutekunst was the only general manager at McMillan’s individual pro day at Arizona. He was present at Texas’ pro day on Tuesday and Ohio State’s pro day on Wednesday. Obviously, the Longhorns and Buckeyes have more draft prospects than their premier receivers, so to say Gutekunst was present to watch only those gifted receivers would be a gross overstatement.

Nonetheless, the Packers need receiver help that McMillan, Golden and Egbuka could provide when Green Bay is on the clock at No. 23 outside of Lambeau Field on April 24.

Here’s what you need to know.

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

2024: 84 receptions for 1,319 yards, 15.7 yards per catch, 109.9 yards per game, eight touchdowns.

Three years: 213 receptions for 3,423 yards, 16.1 yards per catch, 92.5 yards per game, 26 touchdowns.

Broken tackles and YAC: 29 missed tackles, 5.1 YAC.

Drops: Seven drops, 7.7 percent.

Deep targets: 12-of-31 for 472 yards and five touchdowns.

Strength: His overwhelming size and ability to turn 50/50 balls more into 70/30 balls. Plus, he’s surprisingly elusive, as evidenced by the missed-tackle count. He was a No. 1 receiver at Arizona and wouldn’t be daunted by that role in the NFL.

Relative Athletic Score: None, but here are his measurables and 40-yard time.

“I feel like people sleep on my ability with the ball in my hands,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Obviously, everybody knows about my 50/50 balls and my catch radius, but I feel I can get in and out of my breaks well as a big receiver.”

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

2024: 81 receptions for 1,011 yards, 12.5 yards per catch, 63.2 yards per game, 10 touchdowns.

Four years: 205 receptions for 2,868 yards, 14.0 yards per catch, 58.5 yards per game, 24 touchdowns.

Broken tackles and YAC: 10 missed tackles, 5.9 YAC.

Drops: Five drops, 5.8 percent.

Deep targets: 6-of-11 for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

Strength: He is as polished as can be. He was coached well at Ohio State. Because he played in loaded receiver rooms, he’s used to having to rise to the occasion to grab a big role on the offense.

Relative Athletic Score:

Emeka Egbuka is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.27 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 259 out of 3529 WR from 1987 to 2025.

Times unofficial, splits projectedhttps://t.co/YAM8shXLf8 pic.twitter.com/1RKSOPb8E9

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 26, 2025

“Whenever I do watch myself, I’m my own hardest critic,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “A reason I excelled at Ohio State was because (offensive coordinator and receivers) coach (Brian) Hartline and I shared a similar mindset. We’re perfectionists to the nth degree. Every time I watch film, I never tell myself ‘good job’ in my head. I’m always critiquing myself, whether it’s run blocking, route running, my splits before the play, it’s all game for me. It’s all an art, and I love the art of being a receiver.”

Matthew Golden, Texas

2024: 58 receptions for 987 yards, 17.0 yards per catch, 61.7 yards per game, nine touchdowns.

Three years: 134 receptions for 1,975 yards, 14.7 yards per catch, 54.9 yards per game, 22 touchdowns.

Broken tackles and YAC: Eight missed tackles, 5.2 YAC.

Drops: Four drops, 6.5 percent.

Deep targets: 13-of-22 for 438 yards and four touchdowns.

Strength: His speed makes him a big play waiting to happen, whether it’s catching a deep ball or getting a crossing route in stride.

Relative Athletic Score: None, but here are the measurables and 40-yard time.

“Knowing I can play inside and out” is what makes him the best receiver in the draft, he said at the Scouting Combine. “You can move me anywhere. I can get open at any phase, at any level. Just understanding the game and seeing whatever the team wants me to do. I’m reliable on special teams also. So, I feel I can change the game in any way.”

McMillan generally is considered the best receiver of the draft. For the Packers to get him might require a trade up in the round.

“He’s got unbelievable body control with hands to go play above the rim – red-zone weapon, Drake London-esque, a real, real smooth move,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said during a pre-Scouting Combine conference call.

“The size is outstanding. The body control and ball skills are as good as you’re going to see. There are some times just on the back side of routes, I don’t really see him busting it all the time. I’d like to see that just be a little bit more consistent and competitive with each rep in that regard. But, man, someone who can play above the rim in a big, big way.”

Golden and Egbuka are the more likely to be available at No. 23, though Golden’s breathtaking speed could vault him past McMillan for some teams.

Jeremiah called Golden and Egbuka “ready-made” playmakers who can play outside and in the slot.

“Just really, really smart and instinctive and tough,” Jeremiah said. “I’ve become kind of obsessed with receivers with the thought and keeping an eye out for guys who are grounded through the catch, guys who really trust their hands and run through the ball.

“I just put more importance on that. You just see the really great receivers in the NFL have that trait, that quality, that confidence in their hands and allows them to do so much after the catch, as well. Both those guys are grounded through the catch, tough, smart, instinctive players.”