Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Draft Prospects to Know: WR Dyami Brown

Many fans were shocked and upset — and may still be — that the Green Bay Packers went all seven rounds in last year’s draft and didn’t select a single wide receiver—which was considered by many their biggest need. However, when it comes to this year’s draft, I’m here to tell you that won’t happen again.

The Green Bay Packers had the league’s top-scoring offense in 2020 and are returning their top-3 receivers, but none of those players, or anyone at the receiver position for that matter, are under contract beyond 2021.

Adams will be back, but the future of everyone else in that position group remains an unknown. Say what you will about Brian Gutekunst’s drafts, but he does plan ahead, and I expect him to take that same approach with the receiver group in this year’s draft.

Now, does that mean it will be a first-round pick like everyone wants? My guess is no, but honestly, who knows with Gutey. If we’ve learned anything from his three drafts as GM it is to expect the unexpected. But with 10 draft picks this year and a major hole at the position in 2022, they will add to the receiver position.

And when it comes to who that player — or players — might be, Dyami Brown from North Carolina would be a great fit with the Green Bay Packers.

Brown is a two-year starter at UNC with 80-plus targets in 2019 and 2020 along with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He finished his three-year career at North Carolina with 198 total targets, hauling in 62.1 percent of them at an impressive 18.7 yards per catch with 21 touchdowns—20 of which came in his final two seasons.

Initially, what stands out about Brown is his ability downfield, as evidenced by his 18.7 yards per catch and the fact that he was on average 17.1 yards downfield when targeted, according to PFF ($$). However, he was also quite effective over the middle and on short-area routes as well, with roughly half of his total yardage in 2020 coming in those two parts of the field.

Like many young receivers, Brown’s route tree is a bit limited coming out of college, but with his downfield ability coupled with the suddenness that he brings to a slant route, he will easily carve out a role in an NFL offense right away.

On top of that, as Joe Marino of The Draft Network points out, Brown gives “great effort as a blocker,” something that we know Matt LaFleur covets at the wide receiver position.

Measuring in at just over 6’0” and 189 pounds, Brown is slightly lighter than what the Green Bay Packers typically prefer at the receiver position — although I don’t see that being an issue — but he tested quite well athletically, scoring an 8.43 out of 10 on the Relative Athletic Scoring (RAS) table. For some context, 22 of Gutekunst’s 25 RAS eligible draft picks have scored 8.0 or higher.

For a closer look at Brown’s game, here is what else Marino had to say about him in his pre-draft scouting report:

"“Brown is a terrific athlete and vertical route-runner that excels at getting deep where his burst to the football and ball skills led to big plays down the field. Because he’s such a good vertical receiver, it opens up a world of possibilities for him to snap off routes and get open in the intermediate areas of the field. Brown is an elite competitor who battles as a ball carrier, gives great effort as a blocker, and is fearless working the middle of the field.When it comes to growth areas for Brown, developing his ability to clear press coverage and adding more functional strength are the most notable. In addition, he ran a simple route tree in college, so expanding his route tree will be necessary at the next level. Brown has the potential to become a solid No. 2/3 receiver at the next level for an offense that likes to air it out.”"

In what is another fairly deep wide receiver class, both PFF and The Draft Network are high on Brown–and understandably so. PFF has him as their eighth-best receiver and 40th rated prospect, while The Draft Network has him as their ninth overall receiver and 46th rated prospect.

Meanwhile, the NFL Mock Draft Database has Brown projected as a second-round pick based on the hundreds of mock drafts they’ve compiled along with the dozens of big boards put together by draft analysts.

In the short-term, selecting Brown would give Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur another weapon at their disposal who can be effective both downfield and at attacking the middle. Long-term, Brown provides some stability to a receiver room that has quite a few unknowns following this 2021 season.