Malik Heath tops list of Packers that saw their stock rise on offense vs. Patriots
Saturday night's contest between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots ended abruptly when rookie defensive back Isaiah Bolden was carted off the field after suffering a scary hit. First and foremost, hopefully he's OK. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots will update Bolden's condition on Sunday. Schefter also reported Saturday night that the […]
Saturday night's contest between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots ended abruptly when rookie defensive back Isaiah Bolden was carted off the field after suffering a scary hit. First and foremost, hopefully he's OK.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots will update Bolden's condition on Sunday. Schefter also reported Saturday night that the rookie seventh-rounder had feeling in all his extremities, which is obviously a great sign.
Before the scary incident, the Packers offense was driving down in the field in hopes of scoring a go-ahead touchdown after the Patriots previously went up 21-17.
There was a lot to like even though the team had put just 17 points on the board, at the time. So, without further ado, let's talk about three Packers that saw their stock rise on offense.
WR Malik Heath
Heath had another really good night and you could easily see the improvement on the field. He led the Packers with five receptions for 75-yards and his 37 offensive snaps also led all the wideouts on the team. His six special teams snaps were just one shy of tying Samori Toure for the lead, as well.
Heath specifically talked about "getting over the moment" in reference to his first NFL action against the Cincinnati Bengals and focusing more on his technique and slowing the game down.
He obviously made that happen on Saturday against the Patriots.
"That was just the first game, so I was just trying to move fast and just make some plays, you know," Heath said earlier in the week. "So now I'm fixing to go hone in on the details and go back to work…
"… They're looking for a goon, you know? So I'm going to try and fit that role. I'm going to try and do anything I can to make the team."
Wide receiver Grant DuBose had a good night, but right now, Heath's body of work is simply deeper -and better- than DuBose's. The final call on WR6 will undoubtedly come down to the wire.
RB Patrick Taylor
For starters, Tyler Goodson missed the game, which is huge in a narrow position battle like the one that defines the Packers' RB3 battle. And while Emanuel Wilson had a solid game, it was Taylor who showed off some niftiness on a touchdown run and once again led all running backs in special teams snaps with 11.
Wilson played just two snaps on the night and Lew Nichols III is still out with a shoulder issue. Taylor is behind Goodson and Wilson when it comes to playmaking ability on the field, but his special teams prowess will keep him in the mix until the very end.
And frankly, he may just be the last man standing, which in that case, could prompt the Packers to carry only two running backs on the 53-man roster, again. Either way, Taylor is in a good spot after Saturday night.
The Jordan Love-Romeo Doubs connection
I know, I know. This isn't a player. But at the same time, how could we not talk about the effectiveness of these two over the last week or so?
Everyone wants to talk about Love's and Christian Watson's explosiveness, but Doubs should have just as big an impact as Watson in 2023. He's as refined a route-runner as they come for a second-year player and it's clear that he has a nice rapport with Love – it's shown up throughout the entire offseason, thus far.
These two are primed for big things in 2023 and it will be fun to see how the connection grows over the coming years.
Featured image via Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports
