Draft Could Breathe Life Into Packers’ Putrid Return Game

The Green Bay Packers have had the worst return units in the NFL under coach Matt LaFleur. A new coordinator will help. So, too, would a new returner.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A kick returner with legit breakaway ability is like the rising tide that lifts all boats.

Not only can a great kick returner make a would-be tackler miss or simply run away from the competition, but the belief that he can take it to the house at any moment tends to bring the best out of his blockers.

The Packers haven’t had a returner like that in years. In 2021, they finished 21st in return average on punts and 30th on kickoffs. Their cumulative ranking of 51 was fourth-to-last in the league. In 2020, they ranked 30th in punt returns and 31st in kickoff returns, their cumulative ranking of 61 by far the worst in the NFL as the only team in the bottom 10 in both categories. In 2019, they finished 31st in punt returns and 25th in kickoff returns, their cumulative ranking of 56 being third-worst in the league. They’re one of five teams without a touchdown on a kickoff return or punt return during coach Matt LaFleur’s three-year tenure.

After three pathetic seasons on special teams, in general, and returns, in particular, LaFleur hired veteran Rich Bisaccia to run his special teams. Coaching is great but there’s no substitute for talent. General manager Brian Gutekunst gave Bisaccia a veteran punter with the addition of Pat O’Donnell. Maybe he can use one of his 11 draft picks to give Bisaccia a legit returner to lift the rest of the special teams.

Two receivers who are first-round options for the Packers are Penn State’s Jahan Dotson and North Dakota State’s Christian Watson. In four seasons, Dotson averaged 13.5 yards per punt return with one touchdown. In four seasons, Watson averaged 26.4 yards per kickoff return with two touchdowns.

Looking to Day 2, Day 3 and priority free agency, here are some other return options in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Top Kick Returners in 2022 NFL Draft

Here are some of the top return prospects in the NFL Draft, listed in predicted draft order.

CB Marcus Jones, Houston

Jones won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player as a senior and is one of the great returners in NCAA history. For his career, he averaged 28.4 yards per kickoff return with six touchdowns and 14.0 yards per punt return with three touchdowns.

As a senior, he led the nation with a 34.0-yard average on kickoff returns and was fourth with a 14.4-yard average on punt returns. He scored two touchdowns in each phase. He added five interceptions on defense and 10 receptions as a receiver. A potential Day 2 prospect, he probably won’t be a consideration for the Packers because he’s merely 5-foot-8.

“This award means a lot to me,” Jones said of winning an award named after a Packers legend. “I’ve been undersized and overlooked a lot in my life. I just kept my head down and focused on controlling the controllable. Any way I can help the team, I was down for it whether it was extra time spent in meetings or putting in the physical work on the practice field.”

WR Velus Jones, Tennessee

With USC from 2017 through 2019 and Tennessee from 2020 through 2021, Jones averaged 24.4 yards per kickoff return with two touchdowns. He returned punts for the first time in 2021 and averaged 15.1 yards per runback. One of the fastest players in the draft but a sturdy 204 pounds, he had a predraft visit with the Packers. He should go during the first half of Day 3 of the draft.

“I’d say my playmaking ability in different phases of the game when it comes to punt return, kickoff return, and playing receiver and having the ability to make plays out of the backfield as well,” Jones said at the Scouting Combine. “When it comes to me, I feel I’m four players in one. I can make plays in any phase of the game.”

S Juanyeh Thomas, Georgia Tech

A three-year starting safety for the Yellow Jackets, he had one interception in each of his four seasons and broke up a career-high seven passes as a senior. So, Thomas can provide some depth in the defensive backfield and return kickoffs. He took back two for touchdowns as a freshman. He did not return punts. At 6-foot 3/4, he ran his 40 in 4.55 seconds.

CB Mykael Wright, Oregon

A two-year starting cornerback for the Ducks, he also handled kickoff returns all three seasons. He was superb with two touchdowns in 2019 and a 27.7-yard average in 2021. He did not return punts. At 5-foot-10 1/2 and with 4.57 speed, his return ability could make him a late-round selection.

RB Trestan Ebner, Baylor

The Bears’ No. 2 back rushed for 1,690 yards, caught 127 passes for 1,515 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns in five seasons. He returned kicks his final two seasons, closing his career with a 25.3-yard average and three touchdowns on kickoff returns and 6.8 yards with one touchdown on punt returns. He was the Big 12’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2021 and a second-team All-American as a returner in 2020.

“For me, it’s just a chance to change the game,” Ebner said. “If I can help us cross the 50 [yard line], that just increases our chances of scoring on offense.”

At 5-foot-10 3/4 and 206 pounds, he flashed 4.43 speed at the Combine.

WR Britain Covey, Utah

Covey burst onto the scene as a freshman way back in 2015, when he caught 43 passes and averaged 11.7 yards per punt return. And he put a stamp on his outstanding career when he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown against Ohio State in the Rose.

As a senior, he averaged 14.2 yards with two touchdowns on punt returns and 30.0 yards with one touchdown on kickoff returns. In five seasons – he spent 2016 and 2017 on a mission to Chile – he caught 184 passes for 2,011 yards and 11 touchdowns and returned five kicks for touchdowns.

At 5-foot-8 and 169 pounds, history suggests he won’t be a consideration but maybe Bisaccia will hold some sway on personnel moves. As his shoes at pro day said, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

“My initial step and peripheral awareness,” Covey told Packers Wire. “There is no hesitation in my initial step from my understanding of where the threats are coming. My highlight film is full of plays where my initial step is put on display. I also helped draw up the punt return schemes with my special teams coach the last two years of my career.”

Jalen Virgil, Appalachian State

Virgil, a four-time member of Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list for The Athletic, caught 98 passes for 1,436 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense and averaged 30.1 yards on kickoff returns with three more scores. He did not return punts. At 6-foot and 207 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.37 seconds. The return ability could get him drafted.

CB Dallis Flowers, Pittsburg State

In his one season for the Division II Gorillas, Flowers averaged 33.7 yards per kickoff return with two touchdowns while also intercepting four passes. It was Flowers’ fourth school; he averaged 38.1 yards per kickoff return and 11.1 yards per punt return in 2019 with Grand View, where he was a two-time NAIA All-American. At 6-foot-1, he ran his 40 in 4.40 seconds.

“DI supposedly has the best players in the country,” he told FourStatesHomePage.com. “Some of that might be true, but there are great players at all levels: DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, where I came from previously. At the end of the day, you gotta make plays when the play is in front of you. I believe I’m a diamond in the rough. I would be a great pick for a lot of teams.”

WR Justin Hall, Ball State

Hall piled up a lot of yards in five seasons. He caught 318 passes for 3,385 yards and 18 touchdowns, added 865 yards and 10 more scores on the ground, and was a threat on returns. As a senior, he caught 61 passes, averaged 34.5 yards on kickoffs with one touchdown and 12.0 yards on punt returns to be a finalist for the Hornung Award.

For his career, he averaged 26.1 yards per kickoff return and 8.1 yards per punt return. At 5-foot-8 and 189 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.57 seconds. He won’t get drafted but should get a look.