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The Green Bay Packers will have a new quarterback under center to start a season for the first time since 2008, and general manager Brian Gutekunst has an opportunity to land the perfect slot receiver for Jordan Love.
As Gutekunst and his staff prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft, only a handful of wide receiver prospects are considered first-round talents. TCU’s Quentin Johnston has the most Packers-type build at 6’3″ and 208 pounds, but only one first-round prospect could be a dynamic weapon in the slot for Green Bay.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen gave out his list of perfect team fits for this year’s top playmaker prospects on Thursday, April 6. The list included Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons, but when talking about former Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Bowen believes that the Packers would be the ideal landing spot for him.
“Green Bay has the vertical stretch ability of Christian Watson and the developing skill set of Romeo Doubs, but Smith-Njigba could excel as a slot target,” Bowen said. “He’d run the unders and crossers, hit the seams and pick up catches on slot fades. With the route detail we’ve see from Smith-Njgiba on tape, he should produce early in his rookie season on play-action and dropback concepts.”
Love seems to be a fan of the idea, liking multiple Instagram posts from Smith-Njigba during the pre-draft process. With weapons like Watson, Doubs, and JSN, the Packers would have three exciting young weapons to develop and build around.
Other Packers First-Round Targets
Smith-Njigba would be an exciting playmakers for Green Bay’s offense, but he’s not the only player that the Packers are doing their homework on heading into the draft.
With only Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis currently under contract at the position, tight end will be a massive need for the Packers during the draft. Fortunately, the position is extremely loaded in this year’s class, and Green Bay has already brought in massive prospect Darnell Washington for a top-30 visit.
Former Tennessee Volunteers right tackle Darnell Wright has also had a visit scheduled with the Packers. Although the Packers already have a ton of offensive linemen under contract for 2023, Wright could easily be slotted into the right tackle spot as a rookie.
Like Washington, Wright is considered a borderline first-round pick on the consensus big board. Both players could be considered with the 15th pick, or the Packers could be doing some extra work on the two prospects in case they start slipping into the second round.
Latest on Aaron Rodgers
With the draft quickly approaching, Packers fans are anxiously waiting for a resolution to the Aaron Rodgers trade saga.
As both the Packers and New York Jets continue to work on a trade, rumors have surfaced that the San Francisco 49ers are interested in trading for the four-time MVP. The rumored trade offer involved multiple third-round picks in 2023 and a first-round pick in 2024.
However, all signs are still pointing towards the Jets and Packers getting a deal done. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared on SportsCenter on Friday, April 7 that most of the deal is pretty much finalized, and to expect a deal to be finalized during the draft on April 27.
Still, until a deal is official, more rumors and speculation will continue to come out surrounding the Jets, Packers, and the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
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