The Green Bay Packers need a wide receiver, and it’s looking like a very good year to need one.
NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah put out his first top 50 player rankings for the 2020 draft on Wednesday, and nine different wide receivers made the list.
It’s increasingly easy to envision the Packers using one of their first two picks in April’s draft on one of the pass-catchers from Jeremiah’s rankings listed below:
8. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
9. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
12. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
17. Justin Jefferson, LSU
19. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
22. Laviska Shenault, Colorado
29. Tee Higgins, Clemson
41. K.J. Hamler, Penn State
45. Michael Pittman, USC
The Packers got another terrific season from No. 1 receiver Davante Adams in 2019, but J’Mon Moore was released at final cuts, Equanimeous St. Brown missed the season on IR, Marquez Valdes-Scantling disappeared over the final two months and Geronimo Allison was one of the NFL’s least efficient receivers. The Packers’ need at receiver is substantial, even though Allen Lazard made big plays and eventually became the No. 2 receiver and Jake Kumerow proved to be a willing blocker who provided a few big catches in spot duty.
Drafting one (or more) of the nine players listed above could give Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur exactly the kind of firepower in the passing game the offense needs to get to the next level in its second year in 2020.
Here are a few snippets from Jeremiah’s breakdowns on the receivers:
On Lamb: “Lamb is a polished player who is equally explosive and reliable.”
On Jeudy: “Jeudy is a loose athlete with elite route skills and he should emerge as a high-volume production guy very early in his career.”
On Ruggs III: “Ruggs has Tyreek Hill-type ability. He will be a matchup nightmare every week.”
On Jefferson: “Jefferson is a polished receiver and should make an immediate impact at the next level.”
On Aiyuk: “Aiyuk will need a little time to develop as a complete route runner, but he’s a tough, explosive playmaker with added special teams value.”
On Shenault: “Shenault will need time to develop into a fully polished wideout, but he can have an immediate impact for a creative offensive coordinator. He’s too big, strong and fast to not contribute. His drafting team just has to figure it out.”
On Higgins: “Higgins isn’t going to do a lot of the dirty work in the middle of the field, but he’s very effective on the outside and provides big-play ability.”
On Hamler: “Size is the only negative in this evaluation. In a league starved for speedy playmakers, Hamler should be in high demand.”
On Pittman: “Pittman reminds me a lot of Mike Williams, and he can make an impact on all four downs because of his special teams value.”
In Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the year, he sent Shenault to the Packers at No. 30 overall.
Other receivers who could eventually crack Jeremiah’s top 50 players over the next few months include TCU’s Jalen Reagor, Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson, Texas’ Devin Duvernay, Michigan’s Donovan Peoples-Jones, Baylor’s Denzel Mims, South Carolina’s Bryan Edwards, Ohio State’s K.J. Hill and Texas’ Collin Johnson.
This is a stacked receiver class. The Packers should take advantage in three months.
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