Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love may not have a definitive No. 1 receiver among his targets, but he sees the abundance of options as advantageous.
“I think it’s a good problem to have, and you don’t need a No. 1 receiver,” Love commented. “It works well when you can distribute the ball and have different players making plays in various situations.”
Last season, a different player led the Packers in receiving yards for each of their final five regular-season games. These players—tight end Tucker Kraft, Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, Bo Melton, and Jayden Reed—are all still with the team. Notably, Christian Watson, who has 12 touchdown receptions in his first two seasons despite missing 11 games due to hamstring issues, is also part of the roster.
This diverse receiving corps marks a significant shift from the era when Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams were a dominant duo. In Adams’ last year with the Packers, he set franchise records with 123 catches for 1,553 yards, while no other player had more than 52 catches or 513 yards. The trades of Adams to Las Vegas in 2022 and Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023 allowed the Packers to rebuild their receiving unit through the draft.
The Packers drafted Watson in the second round, Doubs in the fourth, and Samori Toure in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. In 2023, they added Reed and tight end Luke Musgrave in the second round, Kraft in the third, Wicks in the fifth, and receiver Grant DuBose in the seventh.
Last season was notable as it was the first time four Packers rookies (Reed, Wicks, Musgrave, and Kraft) caught at least 30 passes. Musgrave and Kraft also became only the second rookie tight end duo since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to each have at least 30 catches, 350 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception.
This depth leaves head coach Matt LaFleur confident in the team’s collective talent. “I feel really good about the collective unit,” LaFleur said. “The hardest part is we feel so good about them, it’s hard to get everybody the amount of touches you’d like to get, but that’s a good problem to have.”
Potential top targets include Reed, who led the team with 64 catches for 793 yards last season, setting a franchise rookie record. Reed, who also had eight touchdown catches, is optimistic about building on his successful rookie year.
Watson, who scored eight touchdowns during a remarkable four-game stretch in his rookie season but was limited to nine games last year, hopes to overcome his hamstring issues. “I’ve been feeling really good,” Watson said. “I just have to continue to build on that and keep going.”
Doubs had a standout performance in last season’s playoffs with 10 catches for 234 yards. Other promising receivers include Melton, who made six catches for 105 yards in a crucial late-season win against Minnesota, and Wicks, who had two touchdown receptions in a victory over the Chicago Bears that helped the Packers reach the playoffs.
