The Green Bay Packers have enjoyed a great deal of success during their history as a franchise and they have done so by consistently building rosters that are capable of competing, and winning games that are played during the time of year where suiting up for matchups at Lambeau Field would leave feeling like they'd been trapped in a freezer for three hours.
Whether they'd like to admit it or not, the Packers have a formula for the NFL Draft that is tried and true, as they have made a living using their first-round draft picks to largely add players they feel will make an impact up front or on the defensive side of the ball. Since the 2000 NFL Draft, Green Bay has selected just four skill-position players on offense, with two of those picks being Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love.
With the draft being held in Green Bay next week, there appears to be a slightly better than normal chance that the Packers could throw their longtime draft strategy out the window and take a big swing on a prospect who could be a difference-maker on offense.
This draft class is as deep at wide receiver as we have seen in quite some time, with multiple players being in the mix to hear their names called in the first round once the festivities kick off in Wisconsin on April 24. Could we see the Packers do something they haven't since selecting Javon Walker back in 2002 and draft a wideout in the first round?
Thanks to recent comments from Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst, some feel that it is a legitimate possibility.
“I will say this: In no time in my 20-some years within this organization, whether it was (former Packers GMs) Ron (Wolf) or Ted (Thompson), did I hear them talk about that as a philosophy,” Gutekunst said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
"I know Ron talked a lot about being mad he didn’t take Randy Moss, you know what I mean? … I don’t think we’d ever hesitate to take a receiver in the first round if the right one was there. We certainly talked about it at different times in the last seven years since I’ve been in this spot, trying to make that happen, so I don’t really look at it as a philosophical thing. I will say we’ve hit on a lot of second-round receivers. There’s been a lot of guys that we’ve taken in that group that have become really, really good players for us. Not only us, but throughout the league."Brian Gutekunst
When you couple the top-end offensive talent on the perimeter that is available in this draft with the fact that the Packers will be without standout wide receiver Christian Watson for, at least, a portion of the 2025 season after he suffered a torn ACL during their 2024 regular season finale, picking a wide receiver with their first selection could help this passing attack stay afloat during the early portion of the 2025 campaign.
Despite head coach Matt LaFleur saying all the right things about the wide receivers he does have on the roster who are healthy at this point in time, even he had to acknowledge how big of a loss not having Watson in the huddle will be for Jordan Love and company.
“I feel good about our receiver room,” LaFleur said at the NFL owners meetings, via Schneidman. “Obviously, it doesn’t help when you lose a guy like Christian Watson, and who knows when we’ll get him back?…Those other guys are gonna have to pick up the slack.”
The prospects will certainly be available for Green Bay once the Tennessee Titans get the draft going by making the first overall pick. The question Packers fans have to ask is whether this will be the year where they see the franchise take that big swing on offense.
We'll find out soon enough.