Packers wouldn’t use their top draft pick on a receiver, would they?
By GERY WOELFEL
INDIANAPOLIS – When it comes to the Green Bay Packers and the NFL draft, you can always expect the unexpected.
Take, for example, the 2020 draft. That was when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was on top of his game. Drafting a quarterback seemed highly unlikely.
So what did the Packers do? They drafted a quarterback, Jordan Love.
The Packers, and specifically general manager Brian Gutekunst, fooled the so-called draft experts again last year. That’s when the Packers used their top draft pick on an edge rusher Lukas Van Ness of Iowa … even though they already had two quality edge rushers in Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.
Heading into this year’s draft, set to begin April 25, will Gutekunst surprise, er shock, the draft gurus yet again? He just might.
While the consensus opinion among NFL officials and observers is the Packers will use their first-round pick on a defensive back or left offensive tackle, there are also indications the Packers could go in a different direction with their top pick, the 25th overall selection.
Like receiver.
Yes, receiver.
On the surface, it would seem the Packers need a receiver like Elon Musk needs another dollar. The Packers are stacked at receiver with Jayden Reed, the team’s second-round pick last year, Dontayvion Wicks, the team’s fifth-round pick last year, Christian Watson, the team’s second-round pick in 2022, and Romeo Doubs, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2022. The Packers also have Bo Melton, a seventh-round pick by Seattle in 2022, who impressed down the stretch last season.
But as loaded as the Packers’ receivers room is, this an excellent draft for receivers. And there figures to be a couple on the board when the Packers make their first selection.
Two of them played for the University of Texas: Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy. Each has intriguingly high potential.
Mitchell and Wothy both told me they had formal interviews with the Packers at the Combine, a clear sign of the Packers’ interest in them.
Mitchell is a lanky receiver – he stands 6-4 – and can flat out run. He has the type of speed to be an over-the-top receiver. What’s more, he possesses great hands.
Mitchell, who played two seasons at Georgia before transferring to Texas, had 55 catches for 845 yards – an impressive 15.4 yards per catch – and 11 touchdowns for the Longhorns last season.
I asked Worthy about Mitchell and he succinctly said, “A big-play threat.’’
As for Worthy, he’s not nearly as tall as Mitchell – he’s 6-1 – but he’s a big-play threat, too. One stat confirms that: He produced 12 touchdowns of 15 or more yards in his time at Texas
Worthy caught 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns last season. In his two previous seasons at Texas, Worthy recorded nine and 12 touchdown receptions, respectively.
I asked Worthy how he’d feel about being on the receiving end of passes thrown by Love.
“I feel it would be amazing playing with him.’’
