Packers: 5 first-round options in 2018 NFL Draft

Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

The wide receiver position is of particular interest in Green Bay right now. It’s unclear whether Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb will return for the 2018 season. Will one, or both, take a pay cut? Will Brian Gutekunst decide to free up cap room by releasing one of the two veteran pass catchers?

If the answer to the last question is yes, wide receiver would suddenly become a position of need. Some might argue it already is. And it’s easy to see the appeal of finding another top receiver to pair with Davante Adams on the outside. The Packers need to find a deep threat who can give the offense something different.

Maybe that player will be found in free agency. There could certainly be a few candidates. But if the Packers turn to the draft, Calvin Ridley is a name to watch.

In an interview with Lombardi Ave’s Joe D’Aloisio, Rick Serritella of NFL Draft Bible discussed the possibility of Ridley landing in Green Bay. He believes an Aaron Rodgers-Ridley partnership “would be one of the most lethal combinations in the league.”

In search of more speed at the wide receiver position, Jon Dove’s scouting report for With The First Pick would be like music to the ears of Brian Gutekunst:

“Ridley’s combination of length and quickness also play a major role in his success,” Dove wrote. “He shows easy speed that allows him to outpace defenders. Alabama loves to get the ball in his hands and allow him to create.”

With Ridley and Adams on the boundary and one of Nelson or Cobb in the slot, the Packers’ offense would be in position to dominate.