The Green Bay Packers are still laying the groundwork for the future. They entirely rebuilt their team over the last two off-seasons through trades and the decision to release veterans nearing the conclusion of their contracts.
In Week 18 of Jordan Love’s first complete season as a starter, the Packers find themselves in a “win and you’re in the playoffs” game. While the season has been full of ups and downs, the Packers feel confident in their future with Love. The Packers are now expected to gain a big offensive weapon.
The Green Bay Packers are expected to pursue a wide receiver from Washington in 2024.
The Packers Wire’s Brennen Rupp summarized what this move would mean for Green Bay:
Gutekunst may be tempted to choose a wide receiver in the first round to provide Love with a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver.
Everyone knows that the Packers haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round since Javon Walker was chosen 20th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Washington’s Rome Odunze is a wide receiver Gutekunst could target in the first round, depending on where the Packers are drafted.
Odunze enters the Texas game in the college football playoffs with 81 receptions for 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns. The most impressive aspect of Odunze’s season is that he played despite having a broken rib and a punctured lung. Odunze had 128 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions versus Oregon just two weeks later.
Odunze had a breakout season the previous season during Kalen DeBoer’s first season as head coach. Odunze has 75 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns during the season.
Would the Packers ever use a first-round pick on a wide receiver?
In the 2022 NFL Draft, Brian Gutekunst selected three wide receivers, including Christian Watson (34th overall). Green Bay’s general manager made three more wide receiver selections in 2023, including Jayden Reed with the 50th overall pick.
Over the last two years, the organization has made significant investments in the position. Using a high draft pick on another wide receiver who does not fit the team’s mold could be a mistake. However, the opportunity to add a potential No. 1 wide receiver to this scheme would match the team’s unofficial “youth movement” that it appears to have committed to over the last few off-seasons.
Other needs (particularly, safety, running back, and tackle) might be addressed with a high choice. The Packers will have three first-round picks (and five in the first three).
