Green Bay Packers: 3 First Round Wide Receiver Prospects

Last year, the shouts from Green Bay Packers fans for a wide receiver in the draft were loud, and everyone thought they would get one early in the draft. Instead, they ignored the position altogether and rolled with the group they had. They finished first in the league in scoring offense, so it seemed to work out for them, but teams will continue to morph to stop their scheme, and they’ll need new weapons to combat that. A first-round receiver could go a long way in staying on top as an offense.

Last season, the Packers often played with either two running backs or two tight ends on the field to avoid using three receivers at a time. This was partially because they had some great weapons at those other positions but also because they didn’t have a true slot that could help them after the departure of Randall Cobb. If they go with a wide receiver early, that is likely the position that they’ll target.

Elijah Moore – Ole Miss

Speaking of Randall Cobb, Elijah Moore is the most similar thing to him in this draft. At 5’9″ 185, he’s very similar to Cobb’s 5’10” 192-pound build. The issue with a guy so short is whether the Green Bay Packers are willing to disregard their normal size thresholds and take him for everything he can do for this offense.

At Ole Miss, he was used in a myriad of ways but most notably put in motion a ton. Seeing that and combined with his quickness and short stature, people will like to pigeonhole him as a gadget guy who can catch passes too, but he’s so much more than that. I actually believe that he’s much better utilized as a pure slot.

As a slot receiver, he runs good routes and makes sudden and sharp cuts to get open. Against zone, he’s also able to find the seams and gaps and make himself available for the quarterback. Finally, he has fantastic hands, and getting to run him on crossing routes on third down, knowing the ball will stick to his hands and he can run for the first, would keep this offense on the field and be a great comfort to fans not having to collectively hold our breath as the ball hits his hands.

As a smaller guy, he does sometimes struggle with more physical defenders in press coverage and at the top of his routes, but once he has the ball, he has flashed some power to break a tackle or two if he can’t evade defenders. If Moore is available at 29, he would be a great addition to not only add more explosiveness to an already potent unit but keep them moving the chains when they can’t get the big play.