Packers Already Met w/ Speedy WR Tyquan Thornton

Each NFL team can have up to 30 official pre-draft visits with prospects ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft. According to Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network, the Green Bay Packers have already met with Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.

Without Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Green Bay Packers are in need of some speed and a downfield threat in this offense–Matt LaFleur even acknowledged this earlier in the week.

There is the obvious big-play ability that comes with having this element within an offense, but it also helps create better spacing and can open up the passing game for others. As I’ve said before, the Packers’ playoff loss to San Francisco is a good example of what not having that speed can do to this offense. Without the 49ers fearing the deep ball with MVS sidelined, they played closer to the line of scrimmage, which shrunk the field and made moving the ball in the passing game more difficult.

Enter Thornton, who measured in at 6’2″ and compared to the type of receiver the Packers typically covet, he is a bit on the smaller side, weighing 181 pounds, but he is incredibly fast. In addition to posting a 9.77 on the RAS scale, Thornton also ran a blazing 4.28 40-yard dash.

During his career at Baylor, Thornton was targeted 203 times, catching 63% of those passes at 15.7 yards per catch with 16 touchdowns. The 2021 season was his breakout year as he caught 63% of his 88 targets for 15.8 yards per catch with eight touchdowns. Thornton’s average depth of target last season was 15.4 yards, according to PFF($$).

Thornton also has eight career kick return attempts, averaging 17.3 yards per return–and as we all know, this is another area that the Green Bay Packers could use a boost in.

For more on what Thornton can offer, here is what The Draft Network had to say about him:

"“Thornton showcases electric speed and can seemingly run past any defender that is put in his way. Thornton uses long strides to simply glide past defenders and uncover to make himself available for the quarterback. In the NFL, I believe Thronton will have instant value as a deep threat, and defenses will always have to account for where he is aligned because he is a big play waiting to happen.”"

Now for a look at what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had in his scouting report about Thornton:

"“He’s a vertical threat with the speed and poise to win deep and has an excellent feel for maintaining spacing when working against zone coverage. He’s skinny and linear, which is a bad combination in defeating strong press-man corners on the next level. The poise and catch radius will work in his favor, but the success rate on contested catches will be lower than teams like, based upon his history and physical traits. Wideouts with his size profile have struggled mightily to succeed in the league, but Thornton’s speed and talent make him worthy of a shot on Day 3.”"

As Zierlein mentions, Thornton will be a Day 3 selection, while over at the Mock Draft Database, he is ranked as the 174th prospect in this draft class and projected as a fifth-round pick more specifically.

For the reasons mentioned above, adding this vertical threat to the Green Bay Packers offense is a must this offseason. If not Thornton, a few other options in the draft include Jalen Tolbert, Romeo Doubs, and Reggie Roberson.