Who will be our #1 WR

[BSA]

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A number 1 WR should be able to beat a # 1 CB frequently and double coverage on occasion

Doubs best trait is route running - and you can win with that
Reed's best traits are shiftiness and route running- you can win with that too

However, Watson has elite athleticism that neither of those guys have- so he is the most likely to ascend to the role of # 1. I don't think Doubs or Reed can handle that challenge at this point in their development. MLF is scheming them open and they're utilizing their skills to take advantage.

If Doubs/Reed were treated to a steady diet of # 1 CB and /or double coverage- I'm not convinced they could win often enough to be considered # 1 WRs. It took Davante Adams awhile to reach that level through tons of reps and dedication to his craft because he too lacked elite athleticism.
We haven't seen the ceiling of any of these WRs yet, but from a physical POV, Watson seems like the best bet

https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/christian-watson

Watson was superior to his D2 competition, so he didn't need to master the nuances of playing WR. The first time he had to actually fight somebody for the ball was when he got to the NFL...and now he's much better at it. Same thing with not letting the CBs push him towards the sideline on go routes - in college he just ran by everybody, but in the NFL, these guys have hands on you the entire route. Watson is by all reports a hard worker/good student- and given time & reps- I believe he will become a consistent, potent threat worthy of the # 1 moniker

The injuries stunted his development timeline, but not his ceiling imo

[BSA]

from reddit


Of all the WR's drafted in 2022- the top 2 in TD catches are Romeo Doubs (15) and Christian Watson (14)

Drake London, Garret Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, Treylon Burks were all taken ahead of Watson


https://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/positions/wr

[BF004]

Of pass catchers drafted in 2023, Reed, Wicks and Kraft are all in the top 5 as well so far.

[MY_TAKE]

Stats for thought. The link should bring you to the "Team receiving drop percentage" of NFL teams from most to least.


https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... eiving::15

So, the first thing that catches my eye is obviously the Packers are the worst. A bunch of lousy teams up on top with the Packers.

The best or the bottom of the chart are the Eagles and a few other good teams like the lions and Vikings.

Drops, just thinking off the top of my head have improved recently so that's a good sign.

I guess, one of my points is, drops are team killers. They are not as bad as turnovers but sometimes they are close. Stalled drives, loss of confidence, defenses back on the field for too long and in some cases, points taken off the board. It's difficult to quantify entirely because it can be such a negative play in so many ways and it clearly affects the game.

In my spare time tonight I checked out some more stats and Jaden Reed has been almost as bad as Wicks, and Doubs is in the top 20 WR's with drops. Except for the big drop, Watson has actually caught the ball this year. Kraft has had too many drops also. I am not saying these players are bad because they all are good to great playmakers too, but if the Packers want to make a run, drops could be an ass kicker.

It's hard to imagine there won't be a bit of a stat correction and that drop rate will improve going forward.

Anyway, I feel like the offense can go places it hasn't been yet and there are some very good signs it will. I love what Watson is bringing to the table right now. It all bodes well for their chances in the playoffs. P.S Getting a healthy Jaire would help too

[salmar80]

Stats for thought. The link should bring you to the "Team receiving drop percentage" of NFL teams from most to least.


https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... eiving::15

So, the first thing that catches my eye is obviously the Packers are the worst. A bunch of lousy teams up on top with the Packers.

The best or the bottom of the chart are the Eagles and a few other good teams like the lions and Vikings.

Drops, just thinking off the top of my head have improved recently so that's a good sign.

I guess, one of my points is, drops are team killers. They are not as bad as turnovers but sometimes they are close. Stalled drives, loss of confidence, defenses back on the field for too long and in some cases, points taken off the board. It's difficult to quantify entirely because it can be such a negative play in so many ways and it clearly affects the game.

In my spare time tonight I checked out some more stats and Jaden Reed has been almost as bad as Wicks, and Doubs is in the top 20 WR's with drops. Except for the big drop, Watson has actually caught the ball this year. Kraft has had too many drops also. I am not saying these players are bad because they all are good to great playmakers too, but if the Packers want to make a run, drops could be an ass kicker.

It's hard to imagine there won't be a bit of a stat correction and that drop rate will improve going forward.

Anyway, I feel like the offense can go places it hasn't been yet and there are some very good signs it will. I love what Watson is bringing to the table right now. It all bodes well for their chances in the playoffs. P.S Getting a healthy Jaire would help too

Three thoughts sprung to mind:

1) Love shows great character in having been supportive of his WR corp all season despite the dropsies. I like trying to build up the confidence of the young WRs, not tearing them down. I doubt any WR ever got better due to the AR death stare or pouting. I guess it coulda motivated some to do extra Juggs work, but I think WRs should realize to do that on their own - it's their livelihood after all.
2) Love's stats sure would look sweet with Eagles -level of drops. Holy moly, 5 drops in 14 games is miraculous!
3) I think Gutey may very well spend a pick on a WR in the draft. While having the "no WR1" -thing is cool and is working, there certainly would be a spot for a sure-handed stud.

[NCF]

I still think Wicks is primed for a breakout. The drops are all concentration. He has all the physical traits to be a dependable pass catcher. Jayden Reed is the only WR of the bunch with a few questions about hand size. Doubs, Watson, and Wicks are all 10+.

[BSA]

I think Gutey may very well spend a pick on a WR in the draft. While having the "no WR1" -thing is cool and is working, there certainly would be a spot for a sure-handed stud.

Not sure I would agree on that one.
Will GB spend a 4th-5th on a WR ? Maybe. But that WR would have to learn the offense, learn the NFL and then surpass the WRs who have 2+ years in the system and will be taking most of the snaps. So maybe that suggests you'd need to spend a higher pick (2nd-3rd) to break into the rotation - and that would be difficult to justify given the current WR room.

Especially since catching the ball is fixable stuff- so the development side of "draft & develop" is probably the best path forward at WR in 2025.
And we've seen the development part work wonders for WRs in Titletown already.

[APB]

I still think Wicks is primed for a breakout. The drops are all concentration. He has all the physical traits to be a dependable pass catcher. Jayden Reed is the only WR of the bunch with a few questions about hand size. Doubs, Watson, and Wicks are all 10+.

I'm with you. I think Wicks has the best traits of all of them to excel in the NFL, he just hasn't put it all together...yet.

[MY_TAKE]

I still think Wicks is primed for a breakout. The drops are all concentration. He has all the physical traits to be a dependable pass catcher. Jayden Reed is the only WR of the bunch with a few questions about hand size. Doubs, Watson, and Wicks are all 10+.

I'm with you. I think Wicks has the best traits of all of them to excel in the NFL, he just hasn't put it all together...yet.

I have been on record as having high hopes for Wicks too. But, remember that Wicks had issues with drops in college too. So this drop problem isn't completely out of nowhere. Just saying. Getting open and creating separation isn't his issue at all. It's his strength. Drops have always been his issue.

[YoHoChecko]

Watson has been the team's biggest receiving yardage gainer in 4 games.
Reed has been the team's biggest receiving yardage gainer in 4 games.
Doubs has been the team's biggest receiving yardage gainer in 3 games.
Kraft has been the team's biggest receiving yardage gainer in 3 games.

So that answers that

[MY_TAKE]

Any additional news on Watson injury?

[APB]

This debate may have been settled last night:

[salmar80]

This debate may have been settled last night:

Yeah, Melton is no Watson, and none of the others can play that role.

Not saying Watson is a great WR, but even an OK deep threat changes things. Hard to carry two of those on game day roster, tho.

[NCF]

This debate may have been settled last night:

The big takeaway for me was they don't have an alpha. They have 4 betas, 4 #2's, 4 second fiddles. They need a dog in that room.

[Scott4Pack]

I think it's great to renew this thread. But I think last night was as much a whooping that it wouldn't have mattered a whole lot if Watson had played.

I am surprised we aren't talking more about what if MLF had stuck more with the running game - again. If so, maybe the likes of Doubs, Wicks, Reed, and so forth would have performed better.

[LombardiTime]

This debate may have been settled last night:

The big takeaway for me was they don't have an alpha. They have 4 betas, 4 #2's, 4 second fiddles. They need a dog in that room.

The most concerning part for me is that not one of the WRs appears to have progressed in 2024. If anything, they've regressed.

Watson appears to be tougher and more mature this year, but he still gets dinged repeatedly and has just 29 catches for 620 yards on the season.

Doubs may have the best hands of the group but he is not big or athletic enough to be a true number one, and he gives off vibes that he doesn't want to be there.

Wicks gets open and flashes but his hands are subpar.

Reed has the best stats of the quartet (other than rivaling Wicks when it comes to drops) but he may be the the biggest disappointment this season.

There is an old saying that if you have 2 quarterbacks you don't have a quarterback. I think the Packers have a number of OK wide receivers but not one of them stands out.

I'd love Gutekunst to move one of these guys, preferably Doubs, and add a WR prior to next season.

[Scott4Pack]

In response to @LombardiTime, I say we should add a WR1 AND keep what we have. (No letting go of any of our WRs.) Let competition sort it all out.

[Acrobat]

Free Agent WR's that we could target:

Tee Higgins - Probably out of our price range
Chris Godwin - I would love this and maybe his injury would drive the price down?
Amari Cooper - Maybe
Stefon Diggs - Ugh...don't like him
DeAndre Hopkins - Nah
Hollywood Brown - I don't see where he's any better than the guys we have
Darius Slayton - I'd be down with this for depth but again, is he any better than our current WR's?
Keenan Allen - Old

So, unless we're willing to break the bank, the WR upgrade either has to come from the draft, trade, or our current group actually progressing next year.

[RingoCStarrQB]

Free Agent WR's that we could target:

Tee Higgins - Probably out of our price range
Chris Godwin - I would love this and maybe his injury would drive the price down?
Amari Cooper - Maybe
Stefon Diggs - Ugh...don't like him
DeAndre Hopkins - Nah
Hollywood Brown - I don't see where he's any better than the guys we have
Darius Slayton - I'd be down with this for depth but again, is he any better than our current WR's?
Keenan Allen - Old

So, unless we're willing to break the bank, the WR upgrade either has to come from the draft, trade, or our current group actually progressing next year.

When was the last time the Packers picked up a top WR? Thinking back to JJ (John Jefferson) from the Chargers. Andre Rison maybe????

[salmar80]

When was the last time the Packers picked up a top WR? Thinking back to JJ (John Jefferson) from the Chargers. Andre Rison maybe????

Top UFA wide receivers are ticket-and jersey sellers and tend to be overpriced even more than other top UFAs. 99.9% of the time I'd leave them to be competed over by the sucky teams.

Combine that with WR being the one position that colleges pump out ready-to-play talent year after year, and I vastly prefer going the draft route.

It's also very rare for there to be a trade that makes sense. This off-season Jets' Garrett Wilson's situation will actually be interesting. He clearly wants to get outta the sinking ship and onto a SB contender, has no interest staying either with AR or through a rookie QB rebuild, and has one cheap year left on his contract. Even through three sucky years, he's gotten 1000+ yards in all of them, but hasn't broken into the elite and the money that comes with it. Here's a hot trade idea: IF the Packers think Morgan is the future at LT, how about trading Rasheed Walker for Wilson? Lord knows the Jets need OL help, and we would have a hard time paying 2nd contracts to both Tom and Walker. Wilson would need a big extension, but not quite top WR money, and could break out in a quality O. Of course, if the Packers aren't convinced about Morgan, or if Walker's Madden stats are too low for Woody Johnson's kid, this is a no-go.