Getty Packers rookie wide receiver Malik Heath could be a sleeper for their offense in 2023.
The Green Bay Packers have a history of keeping at least one undrafted rookie for the initial 53-man roster each season. Last year, long snapper Jack Coco won the starting job over incumbent Steven Wirtel. Before him, Jack Heflin claimed a depth role with the 2021 defensive line after an impressive preseason.
Could former Ole Miss wide receiver Malik Heath be the one to beat the odds in 2023?
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently emptied his notebook from his August 7 visit to the Packers’ training camp and made note of the strong impression that the former Ole Miss receiver has been making over the first few weeks, suggesting Heath could be a “sleeper on offense” during Jordan Love’s first season as starting quarterback.
“A sleeper on offense: undrafted receiver Malik Heath,” Fowler wrote, adding a quote from star running back Aaron Jones about Heath in which he said: “‘He’s been open a lot. He’s been targeted and he’s catching it and taken reps with us as well.'”
The Packers have high expectations for returning starters Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs as well as second-round rookie Jayden Reed, but they have a largely unproven group of receivers behind them that counts Samori Toure (112 offensive snaps played) as its most experienced man. For Heath, the lack of surety at the position could open up a window of opportunity for him to state his case for the initial 53-man roster.
Malik Heath Broke Out in Lone Season With Ole Miss
Heath — who is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds — transferred to Ole Miss for the 2022 season after spending a quiet two years with Mississippi State and quickly became the favorite receiving target of quarterback Jaxson Dart. By the end of the Rebels’ 13-game season, he was their leading receiver in terms of both receptions (60) and receiving yards (971) and tied with Jonathan Mingo for the most receiving touchdowns (five) on the squad.
Heath’s 971 receiving yards were also more than double what he delivered during his previous two seasons with the Bulldogs in another part of the SEC.
A steep jump in receiving production, however, did not equate to much additional draft attention for Heath. As NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein noted, both his size and strength made him an “appealing” prospect in terms of becoming a sturdy contested catcher at the NFL level, but he struggled to make those grabs consistently enough in his one season at Ole Miss and lacked speed when it came to gaining separation.
“The size and length are appealing, as is the potential to improve his contested-catch success rate, but Heath lacks burst to back coverages off or separate consistently against press-man,” Zierlein wrote in Heath’s pre-draft profile for NFL.com. The ball skills show up on tape, but he must become a consistent ball-winner and play to his size.”
Matt LaFleur Says Heath is ‘Big, Goonish Type’ of Receiver
Heath might have momentum for the time being with the Packers, but he will need to keep it up if he wants to earn one of the coveted depth spots in the rotation behind the starters.
Watson, Doubs and (most likely) Toure have locked down three spots in the rotation as the only returning receivers from last year’s active roster. Reed and Dontayvion Wicks — a fifth-round rookie — are also both presumably safe given their high upside and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s habit of keeping his drafted rookies.
The rest of the rotation will need to iron itself out through training camp. Bo Melton brings 4.34 speed to the race and got experience at Rutgers as both a slot and perimeter receiver. The Packers were also interested in him during the 2022 pre-draft process before signing the seventh-round pick off the Seattle Seahawks practice squad midway through last year. A good preseason could confirm to Green Bay he is worth developing.
“They’re very different receivers,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters on August 7. “Malik’s more of your big, goonish type of guy that you guys know that we love around here and he’s very physical. And Bo is a scraper now. He’s a scrappy guy who can really run, so I think they both have flashed. It’s just about building the consistency with which they go out there and ultimately they’re going to have to do that in the preseason games.”
The other receiver to watch as competition for Heath is seventh-round rookie Grant DuBose, who was activated from the non-football injury (NFI) list on Monday after missing the entire offseason workout program with a back injury. Keeping in mind Gutekunst’s tendency with rookies, DuBose could potentially earn an active-roster spot with the Packers, but he will have to work a bit harder after getting a late start.