Tag: malik heath

Matt LaFleur excited to see more of Packers rookie WR Malik Heath

The rookie UDFA WR was impressive during the offseason workout program. Now, LaFleur wants to see more of Malik Heath, especially in games.

Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Malik Heath heightened expectations for himself with a strong performance during the offseason workout program, and now coach Matt LaFleur is excited to see what the undrafted free agent can do in new, game-like situations.

“I think he is a talented young player, a guy we look forward to putting in some situations and seeing how he responds in games,” LaFleur said Friday.

Heath, who caught 60 passes and scored nine touchdowns during his senior season at Ole Miss, consistently made plays during OTAs and minicamps, earning himself a handful of first-team reps. Asked about the rookie on Friday, LaFleur provided a long, detailed answer.

“Malik has done a lot of great things,” LaFleur said. “He’s a strong, strong football player. He can run through contact, he does a good job releasing off the line of scrimmage, widening corners when he gets press coverage, ripping through, he’s got really good ball skills and he’s a bigger guy. Malik has shown us what he can do, now it’s about the consistency of which he does it. Like all young players, it’s all about that, just how consistent can you do it down in and down out.”

Heath (6-2, 213) is among a handful of players competing for a back-end roster spot at receiver. With Grant DuBose on the non-football injury list and Dontayvion Wicks now dealing with a concussion, opportunities are open for a receiver like Heath.

Becoming more consistent is a difficult process for young players.

LaFleur specifically mentioned a play during Thursday’s practice in which Heath ran the wrong route and was visibly disappointed afterward.

“Mistakes are going to happen, it’s all about how you respond,” LaFleur said.

Heath has the physical tools the Packers covet at receiver. LaFleur is certainly intrigued. Can the rookie put together a strong training camp and earn a spot on the 53-man roster?

Packers UDFA WR Malik Heath impresses during offseason workout program

Undrafted rookie receiver Malik Heath was a standout performer from the Packers offseason workout program.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

There always seems to be that one undrafted rookie who begins to grab attention this time of the year. Well, for the Green Bay Packers this offseason, that player is Malik Heath, a wide receiver from Ole Miss.

Whether it be during the three OTA practices that were open to the media or the two minicamp practices, there wasn’t a session that went by without Heath making at least one play.

During the second open OTA practice, with three defenders around him, Heath made a contested downfield catch along the sidelines. In the third open OTA practice, Heath made two receptions from Sean Clifford during the two-minute drill, one on a deep out route to the right side and another on a corner route to the left side that put the offense near the red zone on what ended up being a scoring drive.

Over the two minicamp practices this week, there have been multiple 7-on-7 sessions where there are two groups of offensive and defensive players competing against each other. In the group that featured the offensive starters was also Heath on both days, illustrating that he has caught the attention of the coaching staff. In those sessions, he would come away with a sideline catch and then another on a crossing route, as Jordan Love worked from left to right through his progressions, with Rasul Douglas in coverage. During the two-minute drill on Wednesday, Heath, with the second-team offense was targeted twice by Danny Etling, but both passes were off target and fell incomplete.

Heath may be an undrafted rookie, but he was also a productive receiver from the SEC, and there is something to be said for that. Heath played the 2022 season at Ole Miss, where he lined up mostly on the boundary. He totaled 834 receiving yards at an impressive 16.0 yards per catch while hauling in 68% of his targets. He was targeted heavily over the middle of the field and ranked 61st out of 200 eligible receivers in PFF’s yard per route run metric.

Although the Packers’ wide receiver room may be young, it’s also a bit crowded as well. It’s not uncommon for Green Bay to roster just five receivers on the 53-man roster, and if they do that in 2023, those spots are likely accounted for already by Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. However, if they keep six, then there may be an opportunity for Heath.

Coming into the offseason programs, presumably, that sixth roster spot was going to belong to seventh-round pick Grant DuBose. Unfortunately, DuBose is yet to step on the practice field as he’s been on the sidelines with an unknown injury. Given that the Packers, under Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur, have often preferred to roster their own draft picks over others, I would still consider him the favorite for that potential sixth roster spot. However, as LaFleur said last week, DuBose is playing catch-up right now with his counterparts. Regardless of how diligent a player might be with their off-the-field study habits, there is no substitute for those live reps.

Most players during this time of the year look pretty good when just the shorts are on, but Heath was able to still standout on several occasions. The key will be carrying that momentum to training camp and the preseason, where standout performances carry more weight, to potentially push the drafted DuBose for a roster spot.