The Green Bay Packers’ decision to trade Davante Adams was a shock, but it’s been long enough now that it’s time to look ahead. For Green Bay, that means a major retooling at wide receiver.
Sure, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are back, but neither one is a No. 1 wideout. It’s a stretch to even put Lazard as a No. 2. That means Green Bay needs to utilize free agency and especially the draft to refill the cupboard. It would be a heck of a get if the Packers can scoop up George Pickens in a middle round.
Pickens suffered a torn ACL last March in the offseason while with Georgia. However, he recovered in impressive time to make it back for the Bulldogs’ title run. He didn’t play much in the 2021 season but was able to return for the last four games.
Drafting someone who hasn’t played much since such a gruesome injury can give pause, but many are clamoring for Green Bay to take Jameson Williams in the first round. Williams is an Alabama wideout who just tore his ACL in that National Championship game in January.
Pickens glides like a gazelle when he takes the lid off a defense, and he has an incredible pair of hands to complement his deep-threat ability. Everyone knows how difficult it can be for a young receiver to gain Aaron Rodgers’ trust. Pickens’ sure hands would help his case.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is still a free agent, and the Packers have no receiver on the current roster that proves to be a vertical threat. Sure, they could try to address that in free agency, but most of the top options have been picked over already. What’s left are veterans who are always hurt like Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. or wideouts who are good but aren’t burners down the field like Jarvis Landry and Cole Beasley. Green Bay needs at least one excellent vertical threat. They sorely missed it when Valdes-Scantling didn’t play against the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs. Pickens would be a more affordable option than MVS and may just have a higher ceiling as well.
Per The Draft Network, the two things going for Pickens are his hands and his big-play ability.
George Pickens is a very good athlete with down-field speed, agility, and body control. … He is sudden off the line of scrimmage and quickly closes the DB’s cushion. He is fluid and shows good body control as a route-runner, easily attacking leverage against man coverage. He has a very good catch radius and shows tremendous athleticism to contort his body and make difficult catches on off-target throws. He is a natural hands-catcher with strong mitts who easily catches the ball away from his body. He is a matchup problem in slant/fade situations. He can defeat press with foot quickness but will need to add mass, bulk, and upper-body strength to his wiry frame in order to play through physicality in the NFL.
There are questions about the limited sample size since his return from the torn ACL. But, in reality, torn ACLs are no rare injury in today’s game. In fact, they seem to pop up with more and more frequency. If there are any reservations about Pickens because of that, several other prospects can be taken off the board as well.
Pickens is one of the more sure-handed, reliable pass-catchers in this draft. If not for the knee injury last March, he’s likely a first-round pick in this class. Experts projected him as a first-rounder before the injury. While projections need to be taken with a grain of salt, it was no secret how much more dynamic the Georgia passing game was in 2020 with him than it was in 2021 without him. Pickens changes the dynamic of an offense as a big-time vertical threat.
Many will push for the Packers to use both first-round picks on wide receivers. That’s extremely unlikely given that this team hasn’t selected a receiver in Round 1 since they picked Javon Walker at No. 20 overall in 2002. Yes, it’s been 20 years.
However, while it’s unlikely that they don’t use both first-round selections on wide receivers this year, it’s also as unlikely they wouldn’t use either on a wideout. One of those picks has to be a wide receiver. That could open the door to taking another WR in the later rounds. If Round 3 rolls around and George Pickens is still on the board, Green Bay should jump at the chance.
