The 2023 NFL Draft is right around the corner and while the Green Bay Packers have free agency to deal with first, they should already be looking at impact pieces they could get in the draft. With quite a few holes to address this offseason, Brian Gutekunst and company will need to make quite a few different moves. One area that needs to be improved is the wide receiver position.
Granted, the Packers have to be feeling good about their current top two wideouts. Both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have legitimate star potential. However, they will need to add a true No. 3 and even a No. 4 option.
Moving on from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love is not going to be an easy task for Green Bay. Despite all of the frustration that fans have had with Rodgers, he is still one of the best to ever play the quarterback position. The current frustration is a bit unfounded after another solid season in 2022 and back-to-back MVP seasons in the two previous years.
All of that being said, the Packers will need to focus on getting Love as many weapons as they can. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three wide receivers Green Bay should consider targeting in the 2023 NFL Draft.
3 Wideouts The Packers Should Consider In The 2023 NFL Draft
While the 2023 class is a bit weak on the wide receiver side of things, Green Bay should be able to find a few good options to choose from. In the first round, there are a couple of guys who could end up being stars themselves. Later on in the draft the pickings get slim, but there are some potential diamonds in the rough.
3. Zay Flowers, Boston College
First up, we have Flowers, who put on a show during the 2022 season with Boston College. He racked up 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers show the kind of impact Flowers is capable of making.
If Green Bay were to target Flowers, he would be an ideal slot wideout in Matt LaFleur’s offense. He has big-play ability and can get loose in the open field.
Alongside Watson and Doubs, Flowers would help give the Packers a legitimate three-headed monster at the wide receiver position. His draft stock is very fluid, but as you would guess he is a first-round talent. This would be a very smart pick for the team if they can get him.
2. Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
Next up, we have to go with Volunteers’ standout wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. According to previous reports, the Packers have a very high level of interest in snagging Hyatt in the 2023 NFL Draft.
During the 2022 season at Tennessee, Hyatt ended up catching 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. Standing in at 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds, Hyatt would be yet another playmaking option for the Packers.
At this point in time, there is a chance that Hyatt could fall into the early stages of the second round. That may not be “likely,” but it is possible. Either way, Green Bay should take a long look at him.
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Finally, there is one clear-cut wide receiver that the Packers should pursue over the rest of the crowd. Smith-Njigba has the potential to be a very special star at the NFL level. If he lands in the right situation, the sky is the limit for him.
At Ohio State last season, Smith-Njigba ended up playing in just three games. But, back in 2021, he racked up 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns. There is zero concern about his health coming into the 2023 NFL Draft and he should bounce back with a good rookie season.
Smith-Njigba is 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, he projects to be a slot wide receiver in the NFL, just like he was at Ohio State. He has the ability to make contest catches and his route-running in impeccable. If the Packers draft him, there is a chance that he could develop into a No. 1 target in the very near future.
