Packers Take WR in Todd McShay’s ‘Way Too Early’ Mock Draft

ESPN’s Todd McShay has recently released his ‘way too early’ 2021 mock draft. And as you’d expect, he has the Green Bay Packers taking a receiver.

As many fans and members of the national media still wrestle with the fact that the Green Bay Packers didn’t select a wide receiver in the 2020 draft, draft analysts everywhere who are putting together 2021 mock drafts have them selecting one in the upcoming draft.

In fact, I actually don’t recall seeing a mock draft up to this point where the Packers haven’t selected a receiver. And it’s easy to understand why they have a need, and the 2021 class is loaded with high-end talent. Even more so than the 2020 class.

So really it’s no surprise that in Todd McShay’s ‘way too early’ 2021 mock draft (subscription required), he has a receiver coming to Titletown in Round 1 in the form of Nico Collins from Michigan. Here is what McShay had to say about the selection:

"Aaron Jones broke out, and Davante Adams is going to put up points, but can someone in the Packers’ front office get this man another playmaker? Please. While Collins had just 37 catches last season, he turned that into 729 yards and seven scores with mediocre QB play. He has great size at 6-foot-4 and plenty of vertical speed.”"

At 6’4″ – 222 pounds, Collins fits that big receiver mold that the Packers love so much, and he would give them some much-needed big-play ability. As McShay points out, he hasn’t hauled in a ton of receptions during his time at Michigan, however, he’s made them count.

As a sophomore in 2018, Collins would record 38 receptions for 632 yards, which equals out to 16.6 yards per catch with six touchdowns. This past year, he had a similar amount of receptions with 37 but averaged nearly 20 yards per catch with seven touchdowns.

His best individual performance came in 2019 against Indiana, where on only six reception, Collins posted 165 receiving yards and three touchdowns. For those without a calculator, that’s an average of 27.5 yards per catch.

For a closer look at Collins’ game, here is what KyleCrabbs of The Draft Network had to say in his initial scouting report:

"“Power forward style receiver who is a stereotypical “X” receiver in his projection to the pro level. He’s made a ton of plays down the field and thrives in contested situations to elevate and high point the football. Despite his lack of explosive speed, Collins wins vertically and stacks defenders effectively to wall off corners in the trail position and gather leverage on his routes.”"

The Green Bay Packers haven’t selected a wide receiver in the first round since they took Javon Walker out of Florida State all the way back in 2002. But when it comes to the long term outlook of the receiver position in Green Bay, that’s where things get dicey.

While I fully expect Davante Adams to get a new deal, 2021 is the final year of his current contract. Meanwhile, everyone is hoping that Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown can make an impact this season, yet that remains to be seen. And although we saw the emergence of Allen Lazard in 2019, some added fire-power at the position certainly isn’t a bad thing either.

As I mentioned above, as good as the 2020 draft class was at the receiver position, the 2021 class is considered by many to be even deeper when it comes to high-end talent. So perhaps the upcoming draft is finally the year that the Packers appease the masses and take a receiver in the first round.