The Green Bay Packers are loaded with young, talented players—especially in the wide receiver room.
Matthew Golden headlines the group. The Packers just spent a first-round pick on him, and they’re hoping he’ll take the offense to the next level. He’s got serious wheels and can flat-out move. Green Bay plans to make the most of his speed and explosiveness.
Christian Watson is another burner, though he’s still rehabbing from an ACL tear. The team’s going to be cautious with him, but the hope is he’s full-go by season’s end. He appears to be ahead of schedule at this point.
Romeo Doubs is another name to watch. He’s entering a contract year and coming off an injury-riddled season. He dealt with multiple concussions, including a brutal one in the playoff loss to the Eagles.
Jayden Reed looked like a breakout star early last season. Through the first nine games, he racked up 36 catches for 620 yards and three touchdowns. But things cooled off in the second half—just 19 receptions for 237 yards and three scores over the final eight games. He'll try to recapture his early-season magic.
While the Packers aren’t hurting for weapons, they’re still looking for someone to step up and have that breakout year. One of the top candidates is third-year pro Dontayvion Wicks.
Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks Has a Ton to Prove Entering Training Camp
Packers' fans hope Wicks is starting to follow a path similar to Davante Adams. Adams had early-career issues with drops, too, but eventually cleaned it up, turned into one of the league’s most reliable hands, and became a star.
It’s a stretch to say Wicks will follow that same path, but the comparisons aren’t wild. He’s a sharp route-runner—snappy, quick, and hard to cover when he’s on. He has no problem getting open, thanks to how violently he cuts in and out of breaks.
The hands, though, are a problem. After dropping just 5.2 percent of his targets as a rookie, that number more than doubled to 11.8 percent last season. Those drops killed momentum and hurt the offense at key moments.
Now, he’s trying to get right. It starts in training camp, where he’ll need to show the coaching staff he’s worked on the issue and is ready to be a reliable target.
With as deep as the Packers are at wide receiver, nothing is guaranteed. If Wicks can’t clean it up, there are plenty of guys ready to take his snaps.