Deep Slot Group Might Not Measure Up for Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers haven’t had a productive slot since Randall Cobb’s prime years.
This year’s NFL Draft is loaded with slot receivers.
With an asterisk.
First, the state of the class from NFL Draft Bible:
This year’s NFL Draft class for the wide receiver position is loaded with talent. Not only are there a ton of quality outside receivers, but slot receivers have shown a lot of promise for this class. Jaylen Waddle, the Alabama wide receiver who dealt with injuries this past year, is arguably one of the best receivers in this class. Another receiver that has dealt with injuries but is very polished and one of the more underrated players is Rondale Moore from Purdue. The Ole Miss receiver, Elijah Moore, is starting to get the recognition he deserves for his quality route running and his fluidity in the open field. Kadarius Toney from Florida has received quite a bit of deserving first-round hype.
A couple of players that have not been talked about quite as much are Tylan Wallace from Oklahoma State and Amari Rodgers from Clemson. Wallace played a lot on the outside during his time with the Cowboys but projects better as a slot receiver in the NFL. Rodgers has shown his talent at the Senior Bowl and has been a reliable target during his time at Clemson.
Someone that was talked about consistently at the Senior Bowl was Western Michigan wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge. While he’s worthy of first-round discussions, the injuries during his career will keep him outside of that conversation. He likely will still be a top-100 player and, if he can stay healthy and clear his medicals, he will be a huge steal for a team that is willing to take a chance on him.
Now comes the asterisk.
In the 16 drafts conducted by Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst, the Packers selected 15 receivers. The only one shorter than 5-foot-11 was Cobb, at 5-foot-10 1/4. Not even the undrafted free agents have been shorter than 5-foot-10 threshold.
Draft Bible mentioned seven slot receivers who figure to be among the top 100 picks, with the first four being potential first-round targets. Here are their heights from their pro days:
- Jaylen Waddle: 5-foot-9 1/2.
- Rondale Moore: 5-foot-7.
- Elijah Moore: 5-foot-9 1/2.
- Kadarius Toney: 5-foot-11 5/8.
- Tylan Wallace: 5-foot-11 3/8.
- Amari Rodgers: 5-foot-9.
- D’Wayne Eskridge: 5-foot-8 3/4.
Five other slots who could go in the first three or four rounds are Louisville’s Tutu Atwell, South Carolina’s Shi Smith, USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, South Dakota State’s Cade Johnson and Iowa’s Imhir Smith-Marsette. At their pro days, Atwell measured 5-foot-8 7/8, Smith measured 5-foot-9 1/2, St. Brown measured 5-foot-11 1/2, Johnson measured 5-foot-10 5/8 and Smith-Marsette measured 6-0 5/8.
With 16 drafts not producing a single receiver shorter than Cobb, it would seem the Packers have a firm standard of 5-foot-10 at receiver. Using that group of a dozen receivers, it’s possible Toney, Wallace, Johnson, Smith-Marsette and St. Brown – the brother of Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown – would be the top options.
Auburn’s Anthony Schwartz (6-0), North Carolina receiver/returner Dazz Newsome (5-10 1/8), Houston receiver/returner Marquez Stevenson (6-0 at Houston; his pro day is April 9) and BYU’s Dax Milne (6-0 5/8) are four others who might measure up.
