Packers need to draft receiver before Day 3 to help Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers has thrown just four touchdowns to a first-round pick during his Hall of Fame career. While it has been highly speculated this offseason whether the Green Bay Packers should trade up or wait until their 29th selection to take a wide receiver — history shows they shouldn’t wait past the second round.
Since Rodgers became a starter in 2008, he has connected with four Pro Bowl receivers (Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Greg Jennings). Most recently and the only one of the four to be named All-Pro was Adams.
Adams led the NFL last season in touchdowns (18), while ranking second in receptions (115) and fifth in yards (1,374).
Looking back over the past four seasons (2020, 2019, 2018, 2017) to compare to Adams and his run of success to other All-Pro receivers shows:
- Of the 25 All-Pro selections in the past four seasons, 16 of the 25 were selected in the first or second rounds of the draft.
- DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones are the only two first-round picks to be named All-Pro at least three times in the last four years.
- Just seven of the 25 All-Pro selections since 2017 were drafted on the third day (two in the third round, two fifth-rounders, one sixth-round pick and two undrafted receivers).
If the Packers are to pair a future Pro Bowler or even All-Pro receiver with Adams for years to come, they shouldn’t wait past Friday night.
According to several recent mock drafts, the Packers have options to add another pass-catching weapon on offense for Rodgers.
Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso both envision the Packers having the chance to pick Kadarius Toney from Florida, while Pete Prisco sees Elijah Moore from Mississippi being available in their CBS Sports mock drafts.
Rhett Lewis also believes the Packers should take Moore in his NFL.com mock draft. Meanwhile, Patrik Walker sees Rondale Moore from Purdue falling to the Packers late in the first round.
No matter what the Packers decide to do during the first or second rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, they should be looking to take a high-value and future multi-year Pro Bowl wide receiver. If they expect to capture one more Super Bowl in Rodgers’ career, they need to take a wide receiver with one of their first two selections, preferably with the 29th pick or better.