Josh Jacobs couldn’t have made a bigger impact since signing with the Green Bay Packers a year ago.
Handed the tall order of replacing Aaron Jones, Jacobs delivered an unforgettable season by rushing for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to his third Pro Bowl selection.
Off the field, Jacobs helped fill the leadership void left by Jones, and he has also tried his hand at recruiting. He gave an honest review of the Packers’ wide receiver situation during an interview at the Super Bowl, noting that the team needed a “proven number one.”
The Packers failed to solve that problem in free agency. They signed Mecole Hardman, but his most significant role will likely come on special teams.
There’s still time for Jacobs to get his wish. With Christian Watson out indefinitely and entering a contract year along with Romeo Doubs, it feels inevitable that Green Bay will add to its receiving corps this spring. But in the first round? We’ve heard it all before, but rumors continue to heat up that the Packers may finally add a Day 1 receiver for the first time in over two decades.
Latest draft buzz indicates Packers will seriously consider a wide receiver in Round 1
There’s no smoke without fire, and the first-round wide receiver rumors are heating up with draft day fast approaching.
The latest comes from Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline:
“Most mock drafts have the Green Bay Packers selecting a defensive player in the first round, more times than not someone in the defensive front seven,” writes Pauline. “Yet people tell me to keep an eye on the receiver position, as that is a direction the Pack could go in Round 1.”
Pauline highlighted Texas’ Matthew Golden and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka as “two names that keep popping up.”
And Pauline isn’t alone.
In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. noted that we should “expect Green Bay to take a look at guys like Emeka Egbuka.”
It would make sense. Outside of Travis Hunter, Egbuka might be the best receiver in the class. The Packers hosted him for a pre-draft visit, and the Ohio State star checks just about every box. Egbuka meets their size and athleticism thresholds and dominated in college, catching 196 passes for 2,677 yards and 24 touchdowns over his final three seasons.
It’s a “we’ll believe it when we see it” kind of deal, and we’ve been here before. But the rumors of Green Bay drafting a wide receiver in the first round continue to heat up. Jacobs may get his wish, after all.