Packer Receivers in 2024

[AmishMafia]

Keep playing in my mind how the receiving corps is going to shake out. Everytime I think about it, I come up with a different order. Doubs, Reed, Watson, and Wicks could all come out with the most receptions. And it isn’t impossible it could be Melton.

Reed 73/695/8 Doubs 62/615/5 Wicks 55/450/6 Watson 47/635/7 Musgrave 46/492/4 Melton 33/360/3 Jacobs 27/231/2 Kraft 26/420/3 Lloyd 20/255/2 Dillon 9/45/0

Which leave us for Love: 398/4201/41 Reed: He moves very well and seemed to be way ahead as a pro than you can reasonably expect for a rookie. Good route running with a shifty quickness. Seemed to really be on the same page as a Love towards the 2nd half of the season.

Doubs: He has the most time with Love and they have a strong connection. I think that carries the day above some of the WRs below, though they will surpass him in production at some point. Wicks: May become the best all around WR of the group. Smart and finds ways to get open. Watson: Highest ceiling of all of our players. His demand for attention alleviates coverage on the other receivers. Just hasn’t been able to get going due to nagging injuries, and that is why he is lower on the list. If he can show he can stay healthy . . . Musgrave: Very surprised at how quickly he adapted to the game. Melton: I think he could be the #3 WR on most teams and #2 on a bunch of teams as well. Jacobs: Not enough passes to go around. I think Jacobs will get some looks but not as much as you would expect. Gets a bunch of dump offs. Kraft: Made the biggest in season improvement than I have seen in some time. Lloyd: Why does he get more than Dillion? Screens. Lloyd will get playing time because of his explosiveness. And the Packers will run screens to get him out in space. AJ Dillon: more used for blocking on pass plays and short yardage runs

 

[tynimiller]

Truthfully - it's whomever amongst Doubs / Reed / Watson see the most snaps...aka is the healthiest. While I think Wicks is going to be better than he was last year, I still think it is one of those three. Now if you told me all three see same number of healthy snaps....I will say Watson.

 

[tynimiller]

So rather than start a new thread, a discussion I had with a buddy was based on this posed question:

"At the end of the season what if I told you to assign a WR to each of these categories with this catch - ONLY one can have a repeated name; receptions, targets, yards, YAC and touchdowns."

I went with the following:

Targets - Watson
Receptions - Doubs
Yards - Reed
Touchdowns - Reed

 

[OldSchool101]

This is tough.
My Heart speaks Musgrave or Wicks
My Brain goes with Watson or Reed

Reed from a standpoint he looks almost NFL polished. I suspect he’s going to get increasingly involved until another Receiver rises quickly. I’m speaking All Purpose, he’s very reliable. He’s going to be where you need him to be like a 5 year veteran.

Musgrave from an angle he’s an athletic specimen just a sliver under young Jimmy Graham. Musgrave’s floor is he can trip across 500 yards, literally. If he played with Drew Brees teams, he’s a 1,000 yard guy. They stressed TE and had the Guns to do it.

Watson from the view that he won’t receive many “doubles” with all the production equality and he’s one of the fastest players on the field. So he’ll get separation more often and demand some more looks. When he gets the ball he’s a lethal threat in the open space with momentum.

Wicks is just smooth. Almost deceptively smooth. He’s really good at everything but maybe not great at anything. Well rounded. Moves like #17 but maybe without the full polish.

Then there’s Jacob’s who’s supposed to get more targets and can be formidable in space. Hes a missed tackle waiting to happen.

Then Kraft. May not have the upside of Musgrave. However he’s got aspects that are polished. He fakes the block and rolls out almost at Gronk level. Very Krafty. He’s an above average separator that’ll win against most LB’s. If he’d lower his pads a little more and quit the Lyerla hurdling he’d punish DB’s and avoid injury.

Love Doubs. He probably had the best pure hands up there with Reed. Can snatch a ball in contested. Should’ve had another TD mid season that got luckily kicked out by a DB. He’s probably #2 for me, it’s like when he puts a helmet on he’s a different personality. Possibly the most dangerous to an unsuspecting D because of his competitive nature. Almost street tough like. Shoulders build like Driver and moves like JJ. Jones said when he was drafted he’s the most similar to himself and he was a very good WR2

 

[Heyjoe4]

Keep playing in my mind how the receiving corps is going to shake out. Everytime I think about it, I come up with a different order. Doubs, Reed, Watson, and Wicks could all come out with the most receptions. And it isn’t impossible it could be Melton.

Reed 73/695/8 Doubs 62/615/5 Wicks 55/450/6 Watson 47/635/7 Musgrave 46/492/4 Melton 33/360/3 Jacobs 27/231/2 Kraft 26/420/3 Lloyd 20/255/2 Dillon 9/45/0

Which leave us for Love: 398/4201/41 Reed: He moves very well and seemed to be way ahead as a pro than you can reasonably expect for a rookie. Good route running with a shifty quickness. Seemed to really be on the same page as a Love towards the 2nd half of the season.

Doubs: He has the most time with Love and they have a strong connection. I think that carries the day above some of the WRs below, though they will surpass him in production at some point. Wicks: May become the best all around WR of the group. Smart and finds ways to get open. Watson: Highest ceiling of all of our players. His demand for attention alleviates coverage on the other receivers. Just hasn’t been able to get going due to nagging injuries, and that is why he is lower on the list. If he can show he can stay healthy . . . Musgrave: Very surprised at how quickly he adapted to the game. Melton: I think he could be the #3 WR on most teams and #2 on a bunch of teams as well. Jacobs: Not enough passes to go around. I think Jacobs will get some looks but not as much as you would expect. Gets a bunch of dump offs. Kraft: Made the biggest in season improvement than I have seen in some time. Lloyd: Why does he get more than Dillion? Screens. Lloyd will get playing time because of his explosiveness. And the Packers will run screens to get him out in space. AJ Dillon: more used for blocking on pass plays and short yardage runs

I like Reed a lot and expect he'll take over as the #1 WR this year. Initially, it looked like he was gonna be primarily a slot receiver, but for one of the reasons you mentioned - route running - and just his ease and fluidity after release, I see him as a 1,000 yard plus guy.

This might change if Watson can stay healthy and fulfill his potential. I think the odds are less than 50% that this happens though. I hope I'm wrong, but Watson (when he is on the field) seems to have to work hard for everything he gets. The game comes to Reed naturally. That's an intangible. And maybe it comes down to confidence and expectations. A lot was/is expected from Watson and that adds pressure. We'll see how he handles that if he can stay healthy.

 

[GBkrzygrl]

Conventional wisdom would say Reed for TDs. But for some reason I'm going with Wicks.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Conventional wisdom would say Reed for TDs. But for some reason I'm going with Wicks.

Wicks has a nose for the end zone. Good call.

 

[Calebs Revenge]

I think Watson’s roadblocks are mental outside the hamstrings(read a strange article that his muscle mass or something was way off the norm). That first pass to him in the league that was a sure fire TD except…he dropped it.
I think that’s been with him like getting sacked 9 times in a half never left Fields consciousness.
Somebody will breakout and be the favorite target and get close to a 1000.

Off Topic: how many posts till I could start a thread. Just curious. I try to add legit content so…….

 

[Heyjoe4]

I think Watson’s roadblocks are mental outside the hamstrings(read a strange article that his muscle mass or something was way off the norm). That first pass to him in the league that was a sure fire TD except…he dropped it.
I think that’s been with him like getting sacked 9 times in a half never left Fields consciousness.
Somebody will breakout and be the favorite target and get close to a 1000.

Off Topic: how many posts till I could start a thread. Just curious. I try to add legit content so…….

Agreed on Watson.

I don't know the process, but I think you can start a thread anytime. One of the mods can weigh in.

 

[tynimiller]

I think Watson’s roadblocks are mental outside the hamstrings(read a strange article that his muscle mass or something was way off the norm). That first pass to him in the league that was a sure fire TD except…he dropped it.
I think that’s been with him like getting sacked 9 times in a half never left Fields consciousness.
Somebody will breakout and be the favorite target and get close to a 1000.

Off Topic: how many posts till I could start a thread. Just curious. I try to add legit content so…….

The uneven muscle mass has actually started being linked to injuries all over the league and sports in general.

It's only because you're not a day to day Packer fan that makes you believe he has a mental hurdle to deal with, Watson has been one of the most productive WRs not just from his class but in the league when he is healthy.

Let's just look at his class of 28 drafted WRs. Now of those let's look at just the guys with let's say minimum 40 receptions so far in their career (gets us down to just a dozen guys).

Of those 12 guys only two have played less games than Christian Watson's 23 (Treylon Burks at 22 and Wan'Dale Robinson at 21).
Only four guys have a higher yards per game delivery than Watson - BUT to be fair that includes games where he started but got injured so let's look at snaps too - a better way of doing this. To be fair I've not looked this deep before so as I type this I'm finding this out pulling data into a spreadsheet.

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You'll note that only four are more productive per game and only two when break it down even more apples to appeals with per snap. What is crazy is despite being 500 snaps behind all but four he has the most touchdowns of the bunch...incredible.

Just to throw some of the known guys in our division and a few other bigger but young guys (end the list with two of the premiere WR in the league right now) - ONLY last two seasons to keep things fair (except Davante example which I note what years)

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Typically speaking a team's #1 operates above 1.00 for sure and likely is above the 1.1 per snap. This is why however when folks say who are the special receivers there is an insane correlation typically to the yds/snap because put simply - they produce at an incredible clip when they are in. Tyreek Hill has delivered two years we may very well never see again and put up just INSANE numbers for per snap production....I don't even showcase everything here from an analytics point but still...the fact Watson operates above 1.00 is a sign he has the ability to be a team's #1 possibly...the fact he's done that with a vastly smaller sample size over the last two years than many listed in either chart cannot be ignored either. Now the pessimist could say well he's not proven he can sustain that or that he's simply a victim of smaller sample sizes sometimes inflate the numbers....the optimist is going to argue look at how freaking productive he has been despite never really able to get into a groove of being out there...the sky is literally the limit.

Either way Watson has the makings of a STUD, and has only TWO hurdles before him in achieving it: his health and the fact his team is chalked full of talented WRs. Here's GB figures last two seasons:

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Even Romeo at the .800 is a solid WR2 figure...Wicks and Melton albeit single small samples when in make things happen....

 

[Calebs Revenge]

Nice info.
Watson is Good. I wanted Bears to grab him. All the tools are there but iirc he’s had several mind numbing drops. Just wondered if that was gonna stick with him or if he and Love become a dynamic duo.

 

[OldSchool101]

Nice info.
Watson is Good. I wanted Bears to grab him. All the tools are there but iirc he’s had several mind numbing drops. Just wondered if that was gonna stick with him or if he and Love become a dynamic duo.

Thanks Tyni love the comps.

Christian actually cleaned up the drops more. Several of them were very early on and that’s a time that MANY receivers have the dropsies. Heck Davante had the dropsies in his 2nd season.
We just saw Christian’s numbers and efficiency. Imagine had caught he couple just a couple more of those TD’s or snagged that 60+ yarder etc. he’d be in the top 2 in efficiency per snap.

 

[Thirteen Below]

I think Watson’s roadblocks are mental outside the hamstrings(read a strange article that his muscle mass or something was way off the norm).

I think I'm gonna pay more attention to the diagnoses and opinions of highly-regarded orthepedic surgeons and sports medicine experts with multiple degrees, and who've dedicated the lastb 10-20 years of their lives to studying the topic (and who have a proven record of success) than a random Bears fan who read an article he thought was strange because he didn't understand it.

No offense, of course. I agree they may very well turn out to be wrong; I'm cautiously optimistic, but I wouldn't be willing to bet money on it working out. Recurring hamstring injuries have a significantly higher rate of repeating. The more hamstring injuries a player has, the more likely it is that he has more of them in the future. The odds are not on his side.

But none of us really have any way of knowing which way it's goingto go at this point. We can guess, but we don't have enough information to predict. Your guess may turn out to be right, but a wild guess that turns out right wasn't really a prediction. It was just a lucky guess.

That first pass to him in the league that was a sure fire TD except…he dropped it.
I think that’s been with him like getting sacked 9 times in a half never left Fields consciousness.

Dude... you're going to forecast failure for his entire career based on one pass in his first couple of weeks in the league? Please tell me you're messin' with us, dude!

Watson's catch rate in his rookie season was 0% on the pass you mentioned, but 62% overall - which is not bad for a rookie, especially a rookie who is playing with Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was notorious for taking a while to trust a receiver, and most WRs had a hard time getting into any kind of rhythm.

The 5 best WRs the Packers have had in the last 20 years were Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Davante Adams, Donald Driver, and Randall Cobb. Of those 5, only Cobb did better in his rookie season.

James Jones topped that percentage in his sophomore season, and never did it again until his 5th year. Nelson also hit that mark in his second year, but Driver and Adams took 3 seasons to get there. If you'd judged any of these guys by their first season - or even their first couple - you might have labeled them washouts, but teams have seen this enough over the years to understand that it takes a few years for a lot of really good WRs to develop.

I have no doubts Watson can do the job if he stays healthy. Last year, he missed half the season, losing the 1st 3 games and coming back when the team (including and especially Joprdan Love) was going through some serious difficulties. He struggled to get into synch, still nursing his injuries, but then in his 8th and 9 games back his completion rates were 71 and 77%. The ability is there.

The only issue with Watson is his health, and yeah - it's a legitimate issue. But there's no credible argument for doubting his capabilities. The man can catch the football.

Off Topic: how many posts till I could start a thread. Just curious. I try to add legit content so…….

I thought it was, like, 100 or 110 or some odd number. But it may be 125? You're close. I think I was here for over a year before it was my turn to step up to the podium and take the mic!

 

[OldSchool101]

I think I'm gonna pay more attention to the diagnoses and opinions of highly-regarded orthepedic surgeons and sports medicine experts with multiple degrees, and who've dedicated the lastb 10-20 years of their lives to studying the topic (and who have a proven record of success) than a random Bears fan who read an article he thought was strange because he didn't understand it.

No offense, of course. I agree they may very well turn out to be wrong; I'm cautiously optimistic, but I wouldn't be willing to bet money on it working out. Recurring hamstring injuries have a significantly higher rate of repeating. The more hamstring injuries a player has, the more likely it is that he has more of them in the future. The odds are not on his side.

But none of us really have any way of knowing which way it's goingto go at this point. We can guess, but we don't have enough information to predict. Your guess may turn out to be right, but a wild guess that turns out right wasn't really a prediction. It was just a lucky guess.


Dude... you're going to forecast failure for his entire career based on one pass in his first couple of weeks in the league? Please tell me you're messin' with us, dude!

Watson's catch rate in his rookie season was 0% on the pass you mentioned, but 62% overall - which is not bad for a rookie, especially a rookie who is playing with Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was notorious for taking a while to trust a receiver, and most WRs had a hard time getting into any kind of rhythm.

The 5 best WRs the Packers have had in the last 20 years were Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Davante Adams, Donald Driver, and Randall Cobb. Of those 5, only Cobb did better in his rookie season.

James Jones topped that percentage in his sophomore season, and never did it again until his 5th year. Nelson also hit that mark in his second year, but Driver and Adams took 3 seasons to get there. If you'd judged any of these guys by their first season - or even their first couple - you might have labeled them washouts, but teams have seen this enough over the years to understand that it takes a few years for a lot of really good WRs to develop.

I have no doubts Watson can do the job if he stays healthy. Last year, he missed half the season, losing the 1st 3 games and coming back when the team (including and especially Joprdan Love) was going through some serious difficulties. He struggled to get into synch, still nursing his injuries, but then in his 8th and 9 games back his completion rates were 71 and 77%. The ability is there.

The only issue with Watson is his health, and yeah - it's a legitimate issue. But there's no credible argument for doubting his capabilities. The man can catch the football.



I thought it was, like, 100 or 110 or some odd number. But it may be 125? You're close. I think I was here for over a year before it was my turn to step up to the podium and take the mic!

It’s 110 but for Bears fans 110 X 110
We want to ensure he’s Sanctified first.

 

[Thirteen Below]

It’s 110 but for Bears fans 110 X 110
We want to ensure he’s Sanctified first.

LOL! Well, the dude's got my vote - for whatever that counts. We butt heads a lot, but he's a pretty decent sort in my opinion. Typical Bears fan in a lot of ways, but he's hard not to like.

If Williams falls apart, and Eberfluis and Poles finally screw it up completely and set Chicago back a decade (again), maybe he'll finally see the light, leave the dark side behind once and for all, and come toward the forces of good.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Nice info.
Watson is Good. I wanted Bears to grab him. All the tools are there but iirc he’s had several mind numbing drops. Just wondered if that was gonna stick with him or if he and Love become a dynamic duo.

Yeah that was the drop heard all around the Packer world. There is just no way around it, Watson (or any WR) has to make that catch. It was one of the best passes Rodgers ever threw, and that's saying a lot.

I don't think that's still bothering Watson. Surely he'd like to put together a solid, 1,000 yard plus season as much as we want him to. I hope his route tree keeps expanding and they find different ways to get him the ball. Jordy Nelson turned a lot of 5-10 yard passes into big gains. Watson is capable of the same. And developing a short game will make his long threat easier.

 

[Calebs Revenge]

I think I'm gonna pay more attention to the diagnoses and opinions of highly-regarded orthepedic surgeons and sports medicine experts with multiple degrees, and who've dedicated the lastb 10-20 years of their lives to studying the topic (and who have a proven record of success) than a random Bears fan who read an article he thought was strange because he didn't understand it.

No offense, of course. I agree they may very well turn out to be wrong; I'm cautiously optimistic, but I wouldn't be willing to bet money on it working out. Recurring hamstring injuries have a significantly higher rate of repeating. The more hamstring injuries a player has, the more likely it is that he has more of them in the future. The odds are not on his side.

But none of us really have any way of knowing which way it's goingto go at this point. We can guess, but we don't have enough information to predict. Your guess may turn out to be right, but a wild guess that turns out right wasn't really a prediction. It was just a lucky guess.


Dude... you're going to forecast failure for his entire career based on one pass in his first couple of weeks in the league? Please tell me you're messin' with us, dude!

Watson's catch rate in his rookie season was 0% on the pass you mentioned, but 62% overall - which is not bad for a rookie, especially a rookie who is playing with Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was notorious for taking a while to trust a receiver, and most WRs had a hard time getting into any kind of rhythm.

The 5 best WRs the Packers have had in the last 20 years were Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Davante Adams, Donald Driver, and Randall Cobb. Of those 5, only Cobb did better in his rookie season.

James Jones topped that percentage in his sophomore season, and never did it again until his 5th year. Nelson also hit that mark in his second year, but Driver and Adams took 3 seasons to get there. If you'd judged any of these guys by their first season - or even their first couple - you might have labeled them washouts, but teams have seen this enough over the years to understand that it takes a few years for a lot of really good WRs to develop.

I have no doubts Watson can do the job if he stays healthy. Last year, he missed half the season, losing the 1st 3 games and coming back when the team (including and especially Joprdan Love) was going through some serious difficulties. He struggled to get into synch, still nursing his injuries, but then in his 8th and 9 games back his completion rates were 71 and 77%. The ability is there.

The only issue with Watson is his health, and yeah - it's a legitimate issue. But there's no credible argument for doubting his capabilities. The man can catch the football.



I thought it was, like, 100 or 110 or some odd number. But it may be 125? You're close. I think I was here for over a year before it was my turn to step up to the podium and take the mic!

But I stayed at a holiday inn last night.

 

[El Guapo]

But I stayed at a holiday inn last night.

In Chicago?

 

[Poppa San]

In Chicago?

he's brave in that case.

 

[Poppa San]

Off Topic: how many posts till I could start a thread. Just curious. I try to add legit content so…….

Go ahead. Knock yourself out. Use it, don't abuse it.

DM me if it doesn't work.

 

[Thirteen Below]

But I stayed at a holiday inn last night.

Oh, damn.... I'm really sorry to hear it.

Trouble at home, eh? Don't worry, it'll blow over.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Oh, damn.... I'm really sorry to hear it.

Trouble at home, eh? Don't worry, it'll blow over.

You can Caleb are cracking me up. And BTW 13, thanks for the stats on Watson. I'm sure that first drop played with his mind for a while, but he did rebound nicely, so I retract anything bad I said about him. We all would love to see him get to the #1 WR position, and the competition around him, especially Reed, will make him better.

And Caleb is a good guy, Bearz fan or not. What we can't accept around here are Queens' fans - well at least I can't. The Bearz are just too much fun to stay mad at very long. They gave the world the double doink after all. And Cutler was our MVP for so many years, giving us two MVPs in the same year now and then. And their fans have suffered a lot longer than we did in the 70s and 80s.

 

[Calebs Revenge]

Go ahead. Knock yourself out. Use it, don't abuse it.

DM me if it doesn't work.

Thanks Pops!!!
I hope I have demonstrated that yes I do love Da Bears and will defend them, but I am not here just to troll and talk shiite.

 

[Calebs Revenge]

You can Caleb are cracking me up. And BTW 13, thanks for the stats on Watson. I'm sure that first drop played with his mind for a while, but he did rebound nicely, so I retract anything bad I said about him. We all would love to see him get to the #1 WR position, and the competition around him, especially Reed, will make him better.

And Caleb is a good guy, Bearz fan or not. What we can't accept around here are Queens' fans - well at least I can't. The Bearz are just too much fun to stay mad at very long. They gave the world the double doink after all. And Cutler was our MVP for so many years, giving us two MVPs in the same year now and then. And their fans have suffered a lot longer than we did in the 70s and 80s.

The thing about Green Bay is I really believe it’s a mental thing for the Bears. Detroit gave you guys problems last year and they were a really good team but my guys were smoking them until Fields and everything else fell apart in the last three minutes of the second game.

When the Bears and Packers played the last game of the season, there was one game separating us. Yes GB has a very good roster I just recommend y’all don’t sleep on ours. I honestly believe of da Bears top three wide receivers any of them would be the number one WR on your team. You’re running backs might be a little better than ours. Tight end is a wash or maybe slight edged us and also I think our defense is better than yours.
If Caleb is above average, we are a very, very dangerous team but we will know soon enough.

 

[Heyjoe4]

The thing about Green Bay is I really believe it’s a mental thing for the Bears. Detroit gave you guys problems last year and they were a really good team but my guys were smoking them until Fields and everything else fell apart in the last three minutes of the second game.

When the Bears and Packers played the last game of the season, there was one game separating us. Yes GB has a very good roster I just recommend y’all don’t sleep on ours. I honestly believe of da Bears top three wide receivers any of them would be the number one WR on your team. You’re running backs might be a little better than ours. Tight end is a wash or maybe slight edged us and also I think our defense is better than yours.
If Caleb is above average, we are a very, very dangerous team but we will know soon enough.

Yeah I certainly hope no one on the Packers is sleeping on the Bears. They have three studs at WR, as you note, and Williams certainly looks NFL-ready, well as much as anyone can be. Can't say I'm that familiar with the Bears' D. Well, yep - we'll find out soon enough.