Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Draft Prospects to Know: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette

To the chagrin of what I imagine was just about everyone, the Green Bay Packers did not draft a receiver last year. But this year, there are several reasons pointing to why they will.

The most obvious is that adding another weapon to what was already the NFL’s top-scoring offense is never a bad thing. However, on top of that, the Green Bay Packers currently don’t have any receivers under contract for the 2022 season. And they are also without that gadget-type player on their roster at the moment.

Fortunately, this is a very good draft to find that help and for the Green Bay Packers to check off those boxes. One name, in particular, to know in the middle rounds is Ihmir Smith-Marsette from Iowa.

Smith-Marsette did a little bit of everything during his four years at Iowa. He was an integral part of the passing attack, totaling 203 targets at 14.4 yards per catch with 14 touchdowns, lining up both out wide and in the slot.

He also found the end zone four times as a rusher and was utilized pre-snap as the motion man, on jet sweeps, as well as screens. Basically, just find a way to get the ball to him in space. On top of that, he tested well at his Pro-Day, tallying a Relative Athletic Score of 8.07 out of 10.

Oh, and did I mentioned that Smith-Marsette also has 53 career kick return attempts? Well, he does, scoring twice and averaging 28.8 yards per return.

So let’s recap. A heavily targeted receiver who can move around the formation and stretch defenses vertically—check. A gadget-type player who can be utilized pre-snap and in the quick passing game—check. A good athlete—check. A special teams contributor—check.

Yep. That sounds like a Green Bay Packer.

Smith-Marsette’s best statistical season came in 2019 when he was targeted 74 times, hauling in 60 percent of those passes at an impressive 16.4 yards with five touchdowns, according to PFF ($$). During the shortened 2020 season that consisted of only seven games, Smith-Marsette averaged 13.8 yards per catch with four touchdowns on 40 targets.

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Now for a closer look at Smith-Marsette’s game, here is what Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network had to say in his scouting report:

"“Smith-Marsette brings ample speed, return skills, and vertical receiving to the game, and his production at the University of Iowa isn’t necessarily the best indicator or how talented he actually is—especially given that his open targets were much too often left short or hung in the air long enough to draw defenders back into the play. Smith-Marsette brings a track background to the field and it shows.He’s a graceful runner with easy speed and is at his best when he’s charged with stacking defenders vertically. The Hawkeyes did manufacture some touches for Smith-Marsette courtesy of tunnel screens, double reverses, jet motions and touch passes. He was highly productive on a per-touch basis and, despite some of his limitations in functional strength and size, should find success in a vertical passing offense at the next level.”"

As far as where Smith-Marsette falls in this deep receiver class, both PFF and The Draft Network have him in the same ballpark. He is the 19th rated receiver and 124th overall player on PFF’s big board and the 16th best receiver and 114th prospect over at The Draft Network.

PFF has a fifth-round grade on Smith-Marsette; while over at the Mock Draft Database, they are projecting that he lands in the fourth-round based on all of the mock drafts and big boards they’ve compiled this draft season.

There is still development that needs to take place, but with Smith-Marsette’s skill-set, he is an ideal fit for the Matt LaFleur offense and is someone who would carve out a role right away. A few weeks ago, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reported that the Green Bay Packers have Smith-Marsette “graded highly,” and it’s easy to see why.