2021 NFL Draft: Teams that should consider wide receiver early
Green Bay Packers
After a puzzling 2020 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers had an outstanding season going 13-3 and hosting the NFC Championship game. During the 2020 draft, the Packers decided to take Jordan Love the quarterback out of Utah State in the first round and Aaron Rodgers responded by winning the NFL’s MVP the following season.
Many believed that instead of choosing Jordan Love in the first round or running back A.J. Dillon in the second round of last year’s draft Green Bay should have taken a wide receiver with either pick. The 2020 Draft class had been labeled by many to be the deepest draft at wide receiver that they could remember. So Green Bay responded by not selecting a receiver with any of their nine draft selections. Last season Green Bay was able to make it to the NFC Championship with little input from their incoming rookie class. It begs the question what if Green Bay had drafted players who can contribute right now instead of thinking of their future.
Davante Adams took complete advantage of Rodgers’ MVP season and the fact that there was little competition around him for targets and was arguably the best offensive skill player in football last year. Adams had 115 receptions for 1,374 yards and 18 receiving touchdowns last season in fourteen games.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay also had a breakout star at tight end Robert Tonyan who had 52 receptions for 586 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. Many felt Tonyan was snubbed from the Pro Bowl last season.
The NFL media has repeatedly made headlines about how Green Bay needs to add a receiver and get Aaron Rodgers more help. It has gotten to the point where the Packers should get Rodgers another reliable weapon on the outside. If the Packers draft a wide receiver in the early rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft they should easily make their way up the depth chart to play opposite Davante Adams.
The team’s current second option at receiver Allen Lazard has developed into a solid slot receiver for Green Bay. While Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the type of player whose best performance will come on a two-receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown stat line.
The prime candidate for Green Bay should eliminate the need to keep Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the field as an every-down player. This means the receiver needs to be able to stretch the field with speed and be shifty enough to make defenders miss. But if they favor a slot receiver that could be an upgrade over Allen Lazard Green Bay shouldn’t hesitate to take that player either.
Wide Receiver options for the Green Bay Packers from the 2021 NFL Draft:
- Trade up from pick #62 to take Rondale Moore (Purdue)
- Draft Shi Smith (South Carolina) with pick #93