Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan (4) is widely considered the top wide receiver in this year’s NFL Draft.
Note: The NFL Draft begins April 24 and the Green Bay Packers have the 23rd pick in the first round. Between now and then, I’ll examine Green Bay’s current situation at each position and how likely the Packers are to take a player for that group.
Part 2: WIDE RECEIVER
PACKERS DEPTH CHART
The Packers have some solid players, but lack a true No. 1 wideout.
Jayden Reed led the team in receptions (55) for a second straight year and had a team-best 857 receiving yards. His six touchdown receptions ranked second.
Despite being the Packers’ top option in the passing game, though, there were seven games Reed had two catches, or fewer.
“I think that we could have done better from a staff perspective of trying to put him in some more advantageous situations where he could have produced those numbers, because he’s an explosive player and he’s one of those guys that you want to get the ball to, no doubt about it,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Reed.
Romeo Doubs ranked third on the team with 46 receptions, was third in receiving yards (601) and fourth in touchdowns. But Doubs also missed two games with concussions and another after he was suspended for going AWOL from the team.
Third-year man Dontayvion Wicks was an enormous disappointment in 2024. Wicks led the Packers in targets (76), but was just fourth in receptions (39) and fourth in receiving yards (415). His catch rate of 51.3% was the second worst in football among wideouts.
Christian Watson, the Packers’ fastest wideout, will likely miss much of the 2025 campaign after tearing his ACL in Green Bay’s regular season finale last year.
Bo Melton (17 catches) and Malik Heath (13) are deep down the depth chart.
When the season ended, Packers Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs said the team needed a true No. 1 wideout.
LaFleur also admitted recently that his receivers simply weren’t good enough in 2024. According to Pro Football Reference, the Packers had the third-highest number of drops in football last season (33) and the second-highest drop rate (6.9%).
“To be honest with you … we had a ton of drops, and that’s an area that we have to clean up,” LaFleur said.
OVERALL NEED (scale of 10): 9.5
This is — and will always be — an offensive league first and foremost. So while Green Bay’s defense needs help, finding more weapons for quarterback Jordan Love should be the Packers’ first order of business.
The group of Reed, Doubs, Wicks and Melton probably doesn’t scare many defensive coordinators league-wide. And after coming up empty in free agency, the pressure is on general manager Brian Gutekunst to find help for this group.
THEY SAID IT
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst on finding a No. 1 receiver: “You’d like to have somebody move into that space, maybe, but at the same time, I’d like multiple guys to be able to move into that space. What I’m looking for is guys that when they’re called upon can perform at a high level. I think we have a lot of guys that have done that and are moving into that space, but whether that means acquiring one or one of those guys we have now move into that space …”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur on the high number of drops from his wideouts: “That’s an area that we have to clean up. Some of those were some challenging balls to catch, but ultimately that’s what they get paid to do, you’ve got to catch the ball and that’s got to be primary. I think most of it was focus related. I don’t think it’s a lack of effort or skill. I think our guys are capable, I think we’ve seen that from them.”
Gutekunst on the Packers not taking a first round receiver since 2002: “I don’t think we’d ever hesitate to take a receiver in the first round if the right one was there. 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. So, I don’t really look at it as a philosophical thing. I will say we’ve hit on a lot of second-round receivers. There’s been a lot of guys that we’ve taken in that group that have become really, really good players for us. Not only us, but throughout the league.”
POSSIBLE PACKERS?
If the Packers are going to catch teams like Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington and the Los Angeles Rams in 2025, they need a difference maker at wide receiver. That means Green Bay will almost certainly invest on one early in this draft.
Here are five players the Packers might consider selecting in the first two rounds of the draft.
• Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (6-4, 215) — Had a whopping 213 receptions for 3,423 and 26 touchdowns during his three-year career with the Wildcats. Was third in the nation with 1,391 receiving yards last season. Big, strong, and fast enough (4.53). The Packers would almost certainly have to trade up and into the middle of the first round to land McMillan. Projection: Round 1.
• Matthew Golden, Texas (5-11, 191) — Ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds at this year’s NFL Combine, fastest among all the wideouts. Spent two years at Houston, then transferred to Texas where he had 58 receptions, nine TDs and averaged 17.0 yards per catch. Undersized, but can play outside and in the slot. Also a standout on kick returns. Projection: Round 1-2.
• Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (6-1, 202) — Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions (205) and career receiving yards (2,868). Ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at his pro day, alleviating some concerns about his speed. Can play outside or in the slot. Projection: Round 2.
• Luther Burden, Missouri (6-0, 206) — Three year totals were 192 receptions, 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns. Also had 34 carries for 234 yards and six touchdowns. Small hands (8 ½”), but catches everything. Attitude and work ethic have been questioned by many scouts. Projection: Round 2.
• Jayden Higgins, Iowa State (6-4, 215) — Played two seasons at Eastern Kentucky before transferring to Iowa State for his final two years. Caught 140 passes for 2,166 and 15 touchdowns with the Cyclones. Tremendous size, long arms (33 1/8”), but 40-yard dash time (4.54) isn’t great. Projection: Round 2.
