Despite a deep receiving corps, the Green Bay Packers could eye a surprising Round 2 wideout, driven by intriguing prospects and past draft successes.
One would think the Green Bay Packers are set at wide receiver. Heck, they just traded away Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles, presumably because they feel good about the way their room currently looks. They also let Romeo Doubs walk in free agency.
It's a wideout room led by Christian Watson, who has all the talent in the world to be a superstar in the NFL if he stays healthy. That's a big "if" so far in his career, but he looked very promising as he came back from a torn ACL last season. He caught 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns in just 10 games.
The Packers also clearly have high hopes for 2025 first-round pick wideout Matthew Golden. He caught just 29 passes for 361 yards last season and didn't get a touchdown in the regular season. What we saw from him in the playoffs was inspiring, though, so there is reason to believe he can be a big-time receiver.
Speaking of, Jayden Reed has been a borderline WR1 when he's healthy and you have to throw a healthy Tucker Kraft into the mix, too, when it comes to receiving weapons.
And yet still, there are mock drafts out there that believe the Packers could go with a wide receiver in Round 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. This, despite everything we just discussed about Green Bay's wideout room. It's also despite the massive needs Green Bay has at cornerback and on the defensive line.
The reason for this new wideout obsession in mock draft country is that the Packers have been spending Top 30 visits on wideouts who very well could be drafted in the second round.
Georgia State standout wide receiver Ted Hurst is an example of that.
The Packers have also had Top 30 visits with East Carolina’s Anthony Smith and Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II. Again, these are wide receivers who are being mocked as second-round talents.
Notably, Hurst has drawn comparisons to two players general manager Brian Gutekunst has selected in the past.
"Hurst shares many similarities with Christian Watson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling when they entered the draft," Todd McShay wrote. "The NFL will be a real transition from the level of competition Hurst faced in college, and teams will bet on his long-term upside as a big-play perimeter receiver who is equally dangerous after the catch. As a rookie, the expectation should probably be for Hurst to serve as a no. 4 receiver who works his way up to having a starting role in a three-receiver package."
Nov 1, 2024; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Georgia State Panthers wide receiver Ted Hurst (16) makes a touchdown catch against the Connecticut Huskies in the second quarter at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images.Again, there are arguably greater needs the Packers would want to fill at pick No. 52, but if Gutekunst wants to go best player available and he feels that a player like Hurst could put Green Bay's offense over the top in 2026, there's reason to believe the Pack could select a wide receiver with their first pick in two straight drafts.
That would be shocking, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Clearly, there's something in the water here, and when there's smoke, there is sometimes fire. At the very least, it's worth keeping an eye on.
PackersRoundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Packers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.