17 wide receiver draft prospects who fit Packers production benchmarks
· Yahoo Sports
The body types and athletic thresholds the Green Bay Packers look for at various positions have been established over decades of their scouting system, but what is rarely discussed is the production element of a college prospect’s profile.
Just as the data from previous picks can be used to build a Packers prototype in terms of size and athleticism, there are trends among players Green Bay has selected when it comes to production, especially at the skill positions, which seem to set benchmarks for prospects to hit.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
In the first part of this series, let’s discuss the potential production thresholds for wide receivers.
Since Brian Gutekunst took over as GM in 2018, the Packers have drafted 12 receivers. Their average yards per reception for their college career was 15.4 yards, and the lowest mark was 11.8, set by Amari Rodgers.
In terms of yardage total, the average number put up by a Packers draft pick in their best season (out of their final two years in college) is 1,002 yards.
They have drafted players on Day 1 and 2 with as little as 801 yards (Christian Watson), and 611 (Savion Williams) in their best season. However, both of those players had strong rushing production as well, which boosted their yards from scrimmage.
With that in mind, the more logical and uniform way to set the benchmark is using yards from scrimmage, as this provides a tighter cluster among the players drafted.
The average yards from scrimmage number from a Packers’ receiver’s best season is 1,053, and the lowest was 907, put up by Grant DuBose, who was a seventh-round pick.
Even looking beyond the draft picks, the likes of Allen Lazard and Malik Heath who were UDFA success stories each managed over 940 yards from scrimmage in their best college season.
Finding the end zone also matters, as on average the receivers Green Bay has drafted scored over nine touchdowns during their best overall season.
It is not necessarily about ticking every box exactly but combining them to build an overall production profile. Scoring more touchdowns may make up for a lower yardage total, or vice versa.
One of the most important traits for the Packers is the ability to generate yards after the catch. It is something they have talked about a lot, with Gutekunst telling the media after drafting Savion Williams last year: “Receivers that can do things with the ball in their hands is very important to us."
The numbers back it up, as Packers draft picks averaged 6.2 yards after the catch per reception in their college careers. For context, that mark would have ranked eighth overall among NFL receivers in 2025. DuBose had the lowest average at 4.5, which would still have ranked 33rd in the NFL last year.
Another trend among Packers receivers, which is not specifically related to production, is that they all played the majority of their snaps on the perimeter in at least one of their college seasons. Even if they project a player to the slot at the next level, outside ability seems to matter.
So with the parameters established, who are the receivers in the 2026 draft class who look like fits for Green Bay from a production standpoint?
Looking at players between 30th and 300th on the consensus big board, the prospects who look like a potential match are:
- K.C. Concepcion - Texas A&M (No. 31 on consensus big board)
- Chris Bell - Louisville (No. 51)
- Germie Bernard - Alabama (No. 55)
- Elijah Sarratt - Indiana (No. 76)
- Ted Hurst - Georgia State (No. 79)
- Skyler Bell - UConn (No. 81)
- Bryce Lance - North Dakota State (No. 87)
- Brenen Thompson - Mississippi State (No. 114)
- De’Zhaun Stribling - Ole Miss (No. 149)
- Kevin Coleman Jr. - Missouri (No. 152)
- Josh Cameron - Baylor (No. 158)
- Jeff Caldwell - Cincinnati (No. 161)
- Eric McAlister - TCU (No. 182)
- Eli Heidenreich - Navy (No. 193)
- Tyren Montgomery - John Carroll (No. 210)
- Eric Rivers - Georgia Tech (No. 221)
- Caleb Douglas - Texas Tech (No. 244)
Not all of those players will be Green Bay’s type as it pertains to size, athleticism, or character, but it is a strong list of candidates if the Packers want to dip back into the wide receiver market this month.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 17 wide receiver draft prospects who fit Packers production benchmarks