KJ Hamler Doesn’t Fit Green Bay Packers’ Typical WR Mold

Although he is very dynamic, given his size, K.J. Hamler just doesn’t fit the typical mold of a Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver.

It’s certainly not a secret, and it didn’t take watching a ton of Green Bay Packers’ football from this past season to realize that they need a major boost in the passing game. You know it, I know it, and every draft analyst knows it as well.

That is why a majority of the mock drafts being released, and there are a lot of them, have Green Bay selecting a receiver with their 30th overall pick or at least in round-two at the very latest.

Some of the names that we’ve seen linked to the Green Bay Packers include Justin Jefferson, Laviska Shenault, Jalen Reagor, Brandon Aiyuk, as well as K.J. Hamler out of Penn State. Mostly Hamler has been mocked to Green Bay in the second round, but there are a few instances when he has gone to the Packers at pick No. 30.

Once you flip on the tape of Hamler at Penn State, it doesn’t take long to realize the playmaking potential that he has, and it is something that the Packer offense desperately needs.

During his two seasons of play in college, Hamler totaled 1,658 receiving yards at nearly 17 yards per catch with 13 touchdowns. He also had 17 rushing attempts over that span as well. On top of that, he was a very good return man, averaging 23.5 yards per kick return and 6.0 yards per punt return in his career.

To sum up Hamler in one word, I’d choose “electric,” and if selected by the Green Bay Packers, he would immediately give this team a dynamic presence in the slot. Something that was sorely lacking last season with Geronimo Allison and honestly, something that has been lacking in Green Bay since the days of prime Randall Cobb.

Hamler explodes off the line of scrimmage, has the speed to create significant separation, and is very good at picking up yards after the catch. Here is what Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network had to say about Hamler in his scouting report:

"“KJ Hamler projects as a dynamic complimentary WR in the NFL. Hamler’s lack of physicality likely pegs him as a primary slot receiver, but there’s never been a better time to be a slot in the NFL.Hamler has the route running and run after catch skills to command a high percentage of targets in an NFL offense and his short area quickness will make him a handful to account for on routes run near the sticks. Still young and can afford to add a bit of mass but he’s got a clear path to impact.”"

However, when discussing Hamler, there are two main concerns that pop up: drops and his size. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 12 drops on 70 catchable balls last season and at the NFL Combine on Monday, his official measurements came in:

And while there is nothing terribly surprising about his height and weight, it only confirms that the odds of the Packers drafting him remains extremely low.

As much as I do think that Hamler would give this Packers’ passing game some much-needed juice, typically Green Bay just doesn’t draft receivers of this stature. And that is something that they’ve been very rigid about over the years. Since the days of Ron Wolf to be exact

While recently we have seen smaller players find success in the NFL, this list includes Tarik Cohen of the Chicago Bears, the recently retired Darren Sproles, and former receiver Steve Smith to name a few, they all still weighed over 190 pounds. Hamler on the other hand, who is taller than both Sproles and Cohen and is of similar height to Smith, is still under 180 pounds.

Now, I will point out that this is a new regime with Brian Gutekunst at the helm and Matt LaFleur as the head coach, but Gutekunst did cut his teeth working under Thompson for years and even in his end of the season press conference, he would say that “I got a lot of Ted Thompson in me.”

And of course, if Hamler were to slip past the second round, then maybe the Packers would have some flexibility and consider drafting him. But with that said, even with the tape he’s produced and his performances on the field, at least at this point, it is hard to envision the Green Bay Packers selecting K.J. Hamler.