Getty Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers talks with head coach Matt LaFleur during a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 4, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It took a while, but the Green Bay Packers found the speed they need on the outside in rookie receiver Christian Watson. Even still, the team remains at least one reliable target shy of a formidable pass-catching complement for whoever ends up playing quarterback next season.
Enter Michael Mayer. It’s a name most Packers fans probably aren’t too familiar with, though many will become so in the weeks and months to come.
Acme Packing Company’s Justis Mosqueda and ESPN’s Mina Kimes agreed on the Friday, December 16 edition of SB Nation’s Intercepted podcast that Green Bay probably isn’t going to use its top pick in the upcoming draft on another wide receiver. The team’s M.O. for the last decade has been defense first — a philosophy it already deviated from in 2022 when it spent the equivalent of two second-round selections on Watson and a fourth-rounder on Romeo Doubs.
Mosqueda instead suggested the unpopular, yet potentially offense-changing move, of drafting Mayer in that spot — the game-ready tight end who recently declared for the NFL after three seasons at the University of Notre Dame.
“People do not like the idea of adding a tight end, but if you’re gonna add a tight end, it looks like what Michael Mayer does,” Mosqueda said. “He can play with his hand in the dirt. He’s gonna be the leading wide receiver at Notre Dame, and he’s been that guy since he was a freshman there.”
“He can play tomorrow in the NFL,” Mosqueda continued. “If you’re gonna draft a tight end early, it looks like that because you don’t have to wait three years for that guy to progress like other tight ends have to.”
Kimes added that Mayer would slot perfectly into the Packers’ existing offensive scheme.
“He’d be so good in [Green Bay’s] offense,” Kimes added. “He’s super complete, too.”
Packers No Longer Need to Hunt Speed After Watson Makes Leap
GettyTE Michael Mayer of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dives for the end zone during a game against the Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Stadium on November 19, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Packers will have an opportunity to address their offensive issues in free agency, but there is work to be done on the defensive side of the ball also, which will limit the front office’s spending power.
That leaves the draft and what looks likely to be a mid-first round pick (currently No. 14 heading into the final four weeks of the season) to add a passing target. That target could well be Mayer, especially because Kimes believes that Watson’s ascension has solved the team’s need for the kind of speed on the outside that can burn man coverage.
“If Watson progresses the way he has … you just really need a reliable pass-catcher in that 10-19 [yard] range in the parts of the field that Aaron Rodgers likes to work,” Kimes said. “It just makes a lot of sense to me.”
A receiving tight end would also be beneficial to the continued development of backup quarterback Jordan Love, assuming Rodgers is hurt, decides to retire, or he or Green Bay decide to force the end of the relationship via a trade — all of which are likely to remain possibilities well into the offseason.
Mayer Can Step in as Formidable Packers Target Based on Notre Dame Career
GettyTE Michael Mayer of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs for a first down during a game against the Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Stadium on November 19, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Mayer has shown pass-catching prowess since his freshman campaign in South Bend.
The 6-foot, 4-inch tall and 265-pound tight end has hauled in 180 catches for 2,099 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns over 36 appearances during his Notre Dame tenure.
Mayer has made 67 catches for 809 yards and nine TDs during the 2022 campaign, and still has a bowl game yet to play. If he makes five grabs for 32 yards in his final college game, the tight end will achieve career numbers across the board as a junior.
In his most recent mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Mayer heading to the Houston Texans at No. 12 overall, pulling him off the board two spots before the Packers’ first pick at No. 14.
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Packers Urged to Pair Standout Pass-Catcher With Watson, Doubs