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After a strong 2023 season, the Packers' young group of receivers took a step back in 2024, especially in the final weeks of the regular season and the playoff game against the Eagles.
The sour taste left in fans' mouths seems to have festered and now has many thinking Green Bay's receivers are legitimately bad. That is simply not the case, and by comparing the Packers' situation at receiver to the other 31 NFL teams, this becomes clear.
For starters, the Packers enjoy a level of depth few other teams can claim to have.
Green Bay's fourth-best receiver from a year ago was Dontayvion Wicks, with a 65.1 PFF grade. Eleven teams did not even play their fourth receiver enough to qualify for PFF's positional rankings, while only three teams have a No. 4 receiver who played better than Wicks a year ago. In fact, only six teams have a No. 3 receiver who was better than Wicks.
It is that kind of depth that allows the Packers to still put up points consistently, even while Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs both missed time with injuries at different points of the year.
Compared to the previous season, Green Bay's receivers had a disappointing 2024, and the numbers back that up. The Packers' top three in PFF grade, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs averaged a 70.17 grade last season. Entering 2025, that ranks 20th in the league compared to the top three receivers on the other 31 teams.
That is not ideal for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, but they are also the sixth-youngest group of top three receivers in the league. If you combine the PFF rankings with age rankings, the Packers' situation averages out as the 12th best in the league.
The true advantage of Green Bay's group is that there is still plenty of room for growth, and reason to believe it will occur.
None of them are even 26 years old yet, and while 2024 was a down year, all four of Green Bay's top wideouts have already flashed the potential to have outstanding stretches or even full seasons.
Watson and Wicks have both put up top-26 seasons at PFF in their relatively short time in the NFL so far, showing their ability to be one of the best 32 receivers in the league, or as others might put it, a 'number one' wide receiver.
Combine the best season of each of Green Bay's top four receivers in their respective careers so far, and the collective PFF grade would be 76.17, which would rank 6th in the NFL. The improvement in this receiving corps is not a projection, it is a case of them positively regressing back to the form they showed as rookies.
As individuals, the Packers' average career rankings at the receiver position per PFF are:
That essentially makes Reed and Watson average No. 2 receivers, Wicks a slightly below-average No. 2, and Doubs a low-end No. 2. Of course, the Packers will be hoping for one of them to make the leap and become a No. 1, but even if there are frustrations that has not happened yet, Green Bay's receivers are objectively not "bad."
Mecole Hardman has now been added to the group, and although it may not be a true needle-mover, he has a valuable skill set and six years of experience in the league. His career average PFF grade is 67.25, plenty above average.
Watson's injury will hurt the group, as was the case a season ago, and clearly the Packers need more from their receivers, but probably the biggest factor in their underwhelming 2024, which is often ignored during this conversation, is the play of the quarterback.
Jordan Love did not live up to the insanely high standard he set in the back half of the 2023 season, and the injuries he dealt with all season did him no favors. Receivers are reliant on their quarterback to deliver the ball, so it makes sense they did not excel in the same way when Love was compromised.
It is much more likely the general disjointedness of Green Bay's passing attack, largely due to Love's injuries, was to blame for the receiving group not taking a step forward in 2024, rather than them doing things markedly differently or worse than the previous year.
The glaring issue the receivers do need to take responsibility for is drops, a statistic in which they ranked 31st with a woeful 6.9% drop rate. But drops are volatile and overrated when it comes to measuring overall performance. It would be stunning if the Packers wideouts dropped as many passes in 2025.
In what was a down year for Green Bay's receivers, the team was still one of the best and most explosive offenses in the league, week in and week out, and even with Malik Willis starting at quarterback on occasion.
It is easy to get wrapped up in how 2024 ended, but the Packers still have a talented, young group of pass catchers, which with a bit of development, or even just a rebound, are more than capable of taking the team where they want to go.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers roster: How does Green Bay's WR group compare to other teams?
Continue reading...
The sour taste left in fans' mouths seems to have festered and now has many thinking Green Bay's receivers are legitimately bad. That is simply not the case, and by comparing the Packers' situation at receiver to the other 31 NFL teams, this becomes clear.
For starters, the Packers enjoy a level of depth few other teams can claim to have.
Green Bay's fourth-best receiver from a year ago was Dontayvion Wicks, with a 65.1 PFF grade. Eleven teams did not even play their fourth receiver enough to qualify for PFF's positional rankings, while only three teams have a No. 4 receiver who played better than Wicks a year ago. In fact, only six teams have a No. 3 receiver who was better than Wicks.
It is that kind of depth that allows the Packers to still put up points consistently, even while Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs both missed time with injuries at different points of the year.
Compared to the previous season, Green Bay's receivers had a disappointing 2024, and the numbers back that up. The Packers' top three in PFF grade, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs averaged a 70.17 grade last season. Entering 2025, that ranks 20th in the league compared to the top three receivers on the other 31 teams.
That is not ideal for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, but they are also the sixth-youngest group of top three receivers in the league. If you combine the PFF rankings with age rankings, the Packers' situation averages out as the 12th best in the league.
The true advantage of Green Bay's group is that there is still plenty of room for growth, and reason to believe it will occur.
None of them are even 26 years old yet, and while 2024 was a down year, all four of Green Bay's top wideouts have already flashed the potential to have outstanding stretches or even full seasons.
Watson and Wicks have both put up top-26 seasons at PFF in their relatively short time in the NFL so far, showing their ability to be one of the best 32 receivers in the league, or as others might put it, a 'number one' wide receiver.
Combine the best season of each of Green Bay's top four receivers in their respective careers so far, and the collective PFF grade would be 76.17, which would rank 6th in the NFL. The improvement in this receiving corps is not a projection, it is a case of them positively regressing back to the form they showed as rookies.
As individuals, the Packers' average career rankings at the receiver position per PFF are:
- Jayden Reed: 46th (and a top-10 slot receiver)
- Christian Watson: 48th
- Dontayvion Wicks: 50th
- Romeo Doubs: 60th
That essentially makes Reed and Watson average No. 2 receivers, Wicks a slightly below-average No. 2, and Doubs a low-end No. 2. Of course, the Packers will be hoping for one of them to make the leap and become a No. 1, but even if there are frustrations that has not happened yet, Green Bay's receivers are objectively not "bad."
Mecole Hardman has now been added to the group, and although it may not be a true needle-mover, he has a valuable skill set and six years of experience in the league. His career average PFF grade is 67.25, plenty above average.
Watson's injury will hurt the group, as was the case a season ago, and clearly the Packers need more from their receivers, but probably the biggest factor in their underwhelming 2024, which is often ignored during this conversation, is the play of the quarterback.
Jordan Love did not live up to the insanely high standard he set in the back half of the 2023 season, and the injuries he dealt with all season did him no favors. Receivers are reliant on their quarterback to deliver the ball, so it makes sense they did not excel in the same way when Love was compromised.
It is much more likely the general disjointedness of Green Bay's passing attack, largely due to Love's injuries, was to blame for the receiving group not taking a step forward in 2024, rather than them doing things markedly differently or worse than the previous year.
The glaring issue the receivers do need to take responsibility for is drops, a statistic in which they ranked 31st with a woeful 6.9% drop rate. But drops are volatile and overrated when it comes to measuring overall performance. It would be stunning if the Packers wideouts dropped as many passes in 2025.
In what was a down year for Green Bay's receivers, the team was still one of the best and most explosive offenses in the league, week in and week out, and even with Malik Willis starting at quarterback on occasion.
It is easy to get wrapped up in how 2024 ended, but the Packers still have a talented, young group of pass catchers, which with a bit of development, or even just a rebound, are more than capable of taking the team where they want to go.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers roster: How does Green Bay's WR group compare to other teams?
Continue reading...
