At some point during the 2025 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers will select a wide receiver. And given the overall state of the position for the 13-time NFL champs, they might have to take more than one.
For starters, since Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders three years ago, the Packers haven’t had a single pass-catcher reach the 1,000-yard mark. In fact, only one has even gotten to 800, that being Jayden Reed this past year with 857.
So, they’re undoubtedly in need of a little more firepower. But there are more concerns for Green Bay than just the overall lack of production.
For one, Christian Watson is likely to miss a portion of the upcoming season as he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in the Packers’ 2024 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears.
Furthermore, Romeo Doubs had his fair share of issues this past season. In addition to being suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team,” which most believe was due to frustration with how he was used in the passing game (he denied that was the reason), he also suffered a pair of concussions late last season.
Throw in the fact that both Watson and Doubs are in the final year of their respective rookie contracts, and it’s easy to see why the Packers need to be looking hard at adding more bodies to the receiver room.
And given how Green Bay has approached the pre-draft process, it’s evident that GM Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur have plans to do just that.
The Packers have met with wide receivers more than any other position leading into the 2025 NFL Draft
While every NFL team is only allowed to bring 30 draft prospects to their respective facilities for in-person visits, which typically include medical exams, film review, written tests, and other meetings with the coaching staff and front office personnel (no on-field work is permitted), clubs can also conduct phone interviews with those who don’t get a top-30 visit.
As such, this practice obviously allows a team to get to know many more players. There are also “local day” workouts for those who played high school or college ball in the area. The point is that the top-30 visits aren’t the only way to get to know prospects.
All that said, according to Packers insider Easton Butler, Green Bay has met with 134 total prospects thus far in one way or another. And of those 134, 18 have been wide receivers, the most of any single position.
With combined numbers, offensive linemen and defensive backs technically have higher totals, but that’s as an entire group, not one lone position.
- QB: 3
- RB: 10
- WR: 18
- TE: 2
- OT: 2
- C: 2
- OL (mix of OT, OG, C): 17
- DE: 3
- DT: 7
- EDGE: 11
- CB: 16
- S: 6
- DB (mix of CB, S): 15
- LB: 15
- P: 3
- K: 2
- LS: 2
So, again, it’s clear the Packers are looking to add to the receiving corps. The question now becomes exactly when they pull the trigger once the draft begins.
Some Cheeseheads are clearly hoping Green Bay opts to buck the 20-plus-year trend of not taking a wideout in the first round, as the franchise hasn’t done so since selecting Javon Walker at No. 20 overall in 2002.
But with such a deep class at the position and the Packers needing to address other needs, such as cornerback and edge rusher, they could conceivably wait until Day 2 and still get a good one.
We’ll find out soon enough what they decide to do as the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in Green Bay on Thursday, April 24.
