Packers positional breakdown: Wide receivers
It's almost training camp time for the Green Bay Packers, so it's time to evaluate each position group on the roster. Wide receivers It's almost impossible to have so many questions about a group that has barely changed if compared to what it was a year ago. Yet, here we are. The Packers have an […]
It's almost training camp time for the Green Bay Packers, so it's time to evaluate each position group on the roster.
Wide receivers
It's almost impossible to have so many questions about a group that has barely changed if compared to what it was a year ago. Yet, here we are. The Packers have an insanely young room of wide receivers, full of second- and third-year players, the same ones who allowed quarterback Jordan Love to grow and develop throughout his first season as a starter.
Even though the questions still exist, though, they are completely different than last offseason. In 2023, there are fair question marks about if the receiving room was good enough as a whole, if Love could work with such a young and unproven group of players. The answer to those questions was a resounding yes. Now, everything revolves around how so many ascending players will split reps and targets.
"I think if you just look at throughout the course of a season ago — and every season's going to be a little bit different — but all those guys had their moments where they were the leading receiver in a game," Matt LaFleur said. "I feel really good about the collective unit. The hardest part is we feel so good about them, it's hard to get everybody the amount of touches that you'd like to get, but that's a good problem to have."
Last season, rookie Jayden Reed led the team in receptions, yards, and yards after the catch. Romeo Doubs led them in targets. They both tied for the lead in touchdowns. Then there's Christian Watson, presumably the player with the highest ceiling if healthy (and that's still a big if until proven otherwise). He had the longest reception of the season, the most touchdowns per game, and the second most yards per game, but only played nine games in the regular season.
Oh, and we haven't even talked about Dontayvion Wicks yet.
He got into the NFL as a fifth-round pick last year, but massively progressed throughout the season. Wicks is a technician, and his ability to smoothly run routes generated comparisons to Davante Adams.
"It's a lot of guys making plays," said Bo Melton, another intriguing piece of the puzzle after a strong finish to last season that earned him a promotion to the active roster. "We have a great staff who can draw the best plays up. When you have a lot of guys who do different things — speed, route-runners, physical guys — it could be dangerous for sure."
Those five aforementioned players — Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Bo Melton — are favored to make the 53-man roster. Malik Heath, undrafted who made the 53-man roster as a rookie last year, is also fighting for a spot with a realistic shot.
The wide receiver room also has Samori Toure and Grant DuBose, a pair of former seventh-round picks, plus undrafted signings Julian Hicks and Dimitri Stanley. Even former quarterback Alex McGough, a USFL MVP in 2023, made a transition to receiver trying another chance to be around.
The Packers have the talent at the top and the depth at the wide receiver position. Now, it's just a matter of figuring out the roles and who will take advantage of the competition moving forward.
Jordan Love is comfortable without a true number one wide receiver on the Packers
Green Bay has shared the load among young players
