The Green Bay Packers wide receiver corps is noticeably thinner after they traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders this past weekend. The Packers’ return in exchange for Adams — a first- and second-round pick in next month’s draft — has fans excitedly mock drafting numerous wide receivers to Green Bay. However, it would not be wise for the Packers to select two wideouts in the first round.
I’m not saying that Green Bay shouldn’t come away from the draft with two (or more) wide receivers or that the Packers shouldn’t trade a first-rounder for a veteran wideout. I would very much support both of those things happening. The idea here is that both first-round picks will be counted upon to produce, and the odds of two of them being impact players feels unlikely, especially given rookie wideouts’ track records with Aaron Rodgers.
Green Bay has drafted 16 wide receivers since Rodgers became the starter in 2008. As has been well documented, none of these picks have come in the first round. The group of second-rounders has been special: Adams, Randall Cobb, and Jordy Nelson. But there have been plenty of other names you’ve likely forgotten about, such as J’Mon Moore, DeAngelo Yancey, and Kevin Dorsey.
Of that second-round group, none of them had spectacularly memorable rookie seasons. All three showed promise but didn’t necessarily light up the stat sheet. Adams struggled with drops early in his career and tallied 446 yards on 38 receptions, including 66 targets, in his rookie season. Nelson’s rookie year was Rodgers’ first as a starter, and he had 33 catches (54 targets) for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Cobb saw 25 catches on 31 targets for 375 yards and a touchdown. However, he most noticeably made his impact on special teams, where Cobb tallied 1,616 all-purpose yards, including this memorable 108-yard kickoff return.
Those numbers are acceptable. However, they pale compared to some of the success that rookies around the league have had recently. A.J. Brown had 1,051 yards in his rookie season for the Tennessee Titans after being selected 51st overall. Green Bay fans know how good Justin Jefferson is and the 1,400-yard season that the 22nd overall pick had for the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. The gold standard is Ja’Marr Chase‘s rookie campaign. The No. 5 pick exploded for 1,455 yards and helped lead the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl.
Incorporating two rookies into the offense and expecting a high level of production out of both doesn’t seem plausible, especially given the track record with Rodgers. There will undoubtedly be plenty of targets to go around, but Rodgers likes to have guys that he can trust. The Packers’ fanbase may riot if general manager Brian Gutekunst doesn’t come away from the first two rounds with at least one wideout. However, spending both first-round assets on rookie wideouts would be a mistake. So what can Gutekunst do?
Well, he can trade a high draft pick for a veteran wideout. Wendell Ferreira mentioned some options, including D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Brandin Cooks. Would the Seahawks Seattle take a first-rounder in exchange for Metcalf or a second for Lockett? Who knows? But Gutekunst better be making that call. He will most certainly be making plenty of calls on draft night when teams might get antsy, and the value of the Packers’ No. 22 pick might go up to a point where perhaps a player like Chase Claypool or Terry McLaurin comes available?
If the Packers bring in an outside veteran at wide receiver, the need for a second high draft pick used at the position becomes significantly less. There are plenty of wideouts to like. Depending on how the first half of the first round shakes out, fans would be happy to see a pick spent on Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, or Treylon Burks in the first round. Then perhaps a George Pickens, Jahan Dotson, or Christian Watson to be named later.
While wide receiver is an obvious position of need, it’s not the only group that the Packers need to address early. If the Packers are sitting at No. 22 and have an offensive tackle like Bernhard Raimann or Trevor Penning staring at them, it will be certainly tempting to draft the right tackle of the future. Could there be a lull in drafting edge rushers after Aidan Hutchinson, Travon Walker, and Kayvon Thibodeaux all go within the top 10, and either George Karlaftis or Jermaine Johnson is still on the board? The Packers could try to replace Za’Darius Smith with a pick like that.
The Packers will get a receiver within the first two rounds. I promise you that. But drafting wideouts at both No. 22 and No. 28 and expecting them to be high-impact replacements for Davante Adams is a fool’s errand. Gutekunst certainly knows this too, and there’s just no way Green Bay comes out of the first round of April’s draft with two rookie wide receivers.
