If there was one phrase that could be the anthem of the Green Bay Packers and the NFL Draft, it is this: “The Green Bay Packers haven’t taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2002.” We all know that. It would be a safe bet that people who have not even heard of football know that, at least. It is spread around social media often enough every March. One wide receiver, though, Baltimore Ravens second-year player Rashad Bateman, believed that he was going to the Packers in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Rashad Bateman Reveals His Draft Day Story
In a recent appearance with his teammate Marlon Humphrey on the set of Studio 44, Rashad Bateman revealed that the team he had been in communication with the most leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft was the Green Bay Packers. Indeed, the Minnesota legend firmly believed that Green Bay would take him with the 29th pick in the Draft.
During his sit-down, he also mentioned that he was not in the best of spirits on that Thursday. It is not hard to imagine why. Rashad Bateman was convinced that he was going to the Green Bay Packers. Earlier in that day, Adam Schefter dropped the bomb that Aaron Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay. For any young wide receiver, that certainly would have ruined the day. Bateman was so down that he said he slept through most of the first round.
Rashad Bateman’s brother, one of the many friends and family he had gathered at his home, woke him up after the Jaguars made their pick at Pick 25. Two picks later, the Baltimore Ravens selected Bateman, much to his surprise. The Green Bay Packers ended up drafting Eric Stokes at Pick 29.
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