Gutekunst Eager to Pick from ‘Deep’ Receiver Class

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Three things are true about the Green Bay Packers and this year’s NFL Draft class of receivers.

One, the Packers badly need an upgrade. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Packers had three receivers catch at least 50 passes in each of those seasons. In 2018 and 2019, the Packers haven’t even had two receivers catch 40 passes in a season.

Two, a historically strong draft class awaits. A longtime scout told Packer Central last week that he had 20 receivers graded in the first three rounds. That’s great news for the Packers, who haven’t selected a receiver in the first three rounds since Davante Adams in 2014 and have failed miserably to replace longtime standouts Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. In theory, the depth could allow general manager Brian Gutekunst to bide his time, though that’s not a theory to which Gutekunst appears to be subscribing.

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“It’s a deep class this year,” Gutekunst said in a conference call on Monday. “I think that’s been talked about at length but, at the same time, you don’t really know when the runs are going to happen. It’s going to go one of two ways: either it’s going to go fast or everyone is going to think they can get guys later and it’s going to go slow. We’ll see how it goes. It is a deep class, but I don’t think you can just count on things and wait and expect to get a really good player. So, if there’s guy we think can play and can help us, I don’t think we’ll wait too long.”

The third fact is, while the Packers need immediate help at receiver, it’s a roll of the dice to count on rookie receivers. That’s especially true this year, with the offseason practices eliminated by the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced by virtual instruction. However, the evolution of the game at the lower levels has helped in that regard. Over the six drafts from 2014 through 2019, 24 rookie receivers caught at least 50 passes, including five last year. Over the 14 drafts from 2000 through 2013, 29 receivers caught at least 50 passes.

“I think in general, historically, really young receivers, the production hasn’t been great,” Gutekunst said. “I do think that has started to change a little bit of late. Just the way the high schools and colleges are playing these days, it tends to lean toward receiver development more than anything else.”