In 2019, the New England Patriots drafted a wide receiver in the first round for the first time in the Tom Brady era. The Green Bay Packers could follow in their footsteps in 2020.
Aaron Rodgers was drafted in 2005 and took over as the starter in 2008, but the Packers haven’t drafted a receiver in the first round since 2002 – a fact Rodgers is keenly aware of.
“I know there’s been a lot of conversations, and I’ve seen a couple mock drafts that have us taking receivers in the first round, which would obviously be a first for my time in Green Bay, which would be interesting,” Rodgers told Jason Wilde of the “Wilde and Tausch” podcast and the Wisconsin State Journal.
Rodgers said he knows the 2020 draft is “really deep” at wide receiver, and given the Packers’ big need at the position, there’s a good chance GM Brian Gutekunst will use the 30th overall pick on one of the many potential impact pass-catchers. Options may include LSU’s Justin Jefferson, Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Baylor’s Denzel Mims, TCU’s Jalen Reagor and Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk.
In 2002, the Packers took Florida State’s Javon Walker in the first round. They haven’t dipped back into the first-round pool of receivers since. Six years later, the Packers traded down from No. 30 overall and soon after used the 36th overall pick on Jordy Nelson, who eventually emerged as one of Rodgers’ favorite targets. It still represents the highest pick spent on a receiver since Rodgers arrived in Green Bay.
The Packers have used five second-round picks on receivers since 2005, including big hits on Nelson, Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams. James Jones represented a hit in the third round. But no receiver drafted after the third round since 2005 has really amounted to anything in Green Bay. In fact, Marquez Valdes-Scantling currently leads the 14-player group in career receiving yards (1,033) and receiving touchdowns (4).
The Packers are preparing to add reinforcements, possibly at receiver and tight end, in an effort to pump up the passing game for the final few years of Rodgers’ career. He’ll turn 37 in December, but a big hit on a first-round receiver could really help Rodgers fight off Father Time and extend the Packers’ Super Bowl window.
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