Getty Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be getting another weapon
The Green Bay Packers have been hammered by the national media over the years for the team’s lack of weapons, even when star wide receiver Davante Adams was with the team. But the Packers finally might be able to silence some of those critics by adding a young and talented wide receiver in next year’s draft.
In his most recent mock draft, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards projected Green Bay taking Maryland wideout Rakim Jarrett with the 28th overall pick. If the Packers were able to draft Jarrett, they would end a 20-year streak of passing on wide receivers in the first round.
“Maryland has not played any Power 5 competition for fans to become familiar with Jarrett’s game,” Edwards wrote on September 22. “He has the upside to be an early-round selection. Green Bay has historically bypassed the idea of taking a wide receiver in the first round, but maybe that is part of the reason it finds itself in the current predicament.”
The Packers have picked a handful of wide receivers in the second round over the years, including Christian Watson in this most recent draft and Jordy Nelson in 2009, but Jarrett would be the first wideout taken in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002.
Who Is Maryland WR Rakim Jarrett?
He may not have the national recognition of a player like Jaxson Smith-Njigba or Jordan Addison, but Rakim Jarrett has a dynamic skill set that could make him a fun-to-watch wide receiver at the pro level.
Jarrett, a five-star recruit out of St. John’s High School, was the top player from the Washington, D.C., area in the class of 2020. Top-tier programs like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State had recruited Jarrett, but he decided to stay closer to home and play for the Terrapins.
He carved out a role immediately with Maryland, and over his first two seasons he caught 79 passes for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns. He hasn’t had a huge impact through three games in 2022, but he’s still had 11 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown, averaging a career-high 17.8 yards per catch.
At 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, Jarrett is primarily a slot receiver with good size for the position. The film shows a receiver who can quickly get open off of the snap and a tough player to bring down after the catch with good contact balance and play strength.
With Randall Cobb, 32, nearing the end of his career, Jarrett could be an ideal replacement in the slot in Green Bay’s offense.
How Are Green Bay’s Young Receivers Doing?
It’s exciting to look ahead to next year with the Packers adding yet another weapon, but fans should still be excited about the potential of the team’s two rookie receivers, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
While neither player has yet to find the end zone, Doubs and Watson are the two most-targeted wide receivers on the team. They’ve only combined for 11 catches for 107 yards through two games, but it appears that the team is making an effort to get the two young wideouts more involved in the offense.
National outlets will point to Watson’s big drop while wide open on a potential 75-yard touchdown in the season opener, but the two players have unique skill sets that should help Green Bay’s passing game open up as they get more comfortable later into the season.