Brian Gutekunst follows his predecessors and has a very specific type of player he targets at each position. Since he became the Green Bay Packers general manager in 2018, it has been relatively easy to find potential prospects he likes. Regarding the wide receiver position, the trend is clear: Gutekunst prefers tall, athletic, and toolsy receivers.
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Under Gutekunst, the Packers have drafted J'Mon Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St-Brown, Amari Rodgers, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. Of them, just Rodgers, who was seen as a gadget-type, and Toure, a seventh-round flier, didn't hit the prototypical size/athletic thresholds Gutekunst tends to follow.
The baseline for receivers under Gutekunst are 6-2, 190 lbs, and a Relative Athletic Score of 8.0 — the Packers don't necessarily use RAS as a metric, but they do have a kind of athletic measurement tool with enough similarities for outside people to have an idea of their types.
With this background in mind, it's possible to analyze which wide receivers of this year's class are potential targets — especially because this is a class loaded with undersized players.
Quentin Johnston 6-2, 208 lbs, RAS 8.80
The TCU receiver is number 1 of his position on the Consensus Big Board , an exercise made by The Athletic to track rankings from several draft experts. He has a great combination of size and vertical speed, even though he plays more like a finesse receiver. The athletic profile, though, has one big problem which might hurt his stock: a 3-cone drill of 7.31s, which made his final RAS be below nine.
Cedric Tillmann, 6-3, 213 lbs, RAS 8.67
Tillman also has a 3-cone drill above 7.3s, and his 40-yard dash is 4.54 — Johnston ran a 4.52. So they clearly have similar athletic profiles. But Tillman is the 76th player and ninth wide receiver on the consensus board, so the value might entice the Packers to chase a potential true X receiver.
AT Perry, 6-3, 198 lbs, RAS 9.85
Perry is 98th on the consensus board, the 13th receiver, he's a classic Packers type — long, high-ceiling, raw, low-floor prospect. He lacks the ability to change directions, but has good speed on vertical routes. He barely meets the weight threshold.
Andrei Iosivas, 6-3, 205 lbs, RAS 9.96
The Princeton receiver is more of a late-round prospect, and his athletic traits are impressive. His ability to run and jump are enticing, but doesn't have great hands nor much ability to generate yards after the catch.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton, 6-3, 221 lbs, RAS 9.97
Ford-Wheaton has some Quentin Johnston's aspects to his game, but is more athletic and less productive. He is good at fighting against contact and plays more like a big receiver, also possessing the ability to generate extra yards. He's not quick, though, and can't create much separation for himself. That's probably why he had just three 100-yard games in three college seasons.
Almost there and might be on Gutekunst's radar:
Rashee Rice, 6-0, 204 lbs, RAS 9.52
Jonathan Mingo, 6-1/6, 220 lbs, RAS 9.86
Michael Wilson, 6-1/7, 213 lbs, RAS 9.55
Other names to keep an eye on:
Matt Landers, 6-4, 200 lbs, RAS 9.84
Jared Wayne, 6-2, 209 lbs, RAS 9.26
CJ Lewis, 6-3, 214 lbs, RAS 9.04
Elijah Higgins, 6-3, 235 lbs, RAS 8.94
Chase Cota, 6-3, 201 lbs, RAS 9.33
Jared Wayne, 6-2, 209 lbs, RAS 9.26
Grant Dubose, 6-2, 201 lbs, RAS 8.78
Michael Jefferson, 6-3, 199 lbs, RAS 8.66
Garrett Maag, 6-3, 206 lbs, RAS 8.50
Elijah Cooks, 6-3, 219 lbs, RAS 8.45
Darren Wilson Jr., 6-3, 212 lbs, RAS 8.29
David Durden, 6-1/4, 204 lbs, RAS 9.59
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