As fans know all too well, the Green Bay Packers have not drafted a wide receiver in the first round of any NFL Draft since 2002. That year, they took Javon Walker who, unfortunately, did not have a very productive tenure with Green Bay, or in the NFL in general.
He did make one Pro Bowl, in 2004, a year that saw him catch 89 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. But he played just one game in 2005 and was not brought back in 2006.
In the two decades since, the Packers have found stud wide receivers in later rounds, notably landing Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams in the second round of their respective drafts.
For what seems the tenth year in a row, many believe that the Packers may break with their trend and grab a wide receiver in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in Green Bay.
The Green Bay Packers Are Predicted to Take Ohio State Wide Receiver Emeka Egbuka in the First Round of the 2025 NFL Draft
As fans are well aware, the Packers will not have wide receiver Christian Watson for most, if not all, of the 2025 season after he tore his ACL in Week 18 against the Chicago Bears. With his absence, wide receiver has all of a sudden become a glaring need for Green Bay, though the underperformance of the group as a whole had many considering a need anyway.
In a recent first round mock draft by Sporting News, Vinnie Iyer predicts that the Packers will break with their tendency to wait on a drafting a wide receiver until later in the draft by taking Emeka Egbuka of Ohio State with the 23rd overall pick:
“The Packers need to get a true No. 1 wide receiver who can be available more than their current, oft-injured core of youngsters. Egbuka is a typical Buckeyes WR technician who has the route running, hands, and quickness to become another Terry McLaurin.”
Egbuka still has yet to play in the National Championship Game against Notre Dame, but so far this season he has 75 receptions for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In 2022, Egbuka had his first and only 1,000-yard season for the Buckeyes, hauling in 74 receptions for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns.
It is worth noting that former Ohio State wide receivers currently playing in the NFL include Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Curtis Samuel, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Terry McLaurin, to whom Iyer compared Egbuka.
It is also worth noting that Green Bay had a chance to draft McLaurin back in 2019, but took tight end Jace Sternberger instead.
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