What Can the Packers Expect From Their Young Receivers in Year Two?

The Packers shouldn't count on a big leap from their young receivers. 

Unless they find the right guy in free agency, or say, via a trade, the Packers should spend somewhat of a high draft pick on a wide receiver in this year’s draft. Two of the three 2018 draft picks they spent of receivers appear to have promising careers ahead but it’s still too early to tell how good they might be. Some people were ready to cut Davante Adams after his second season when his yards total only increased slightly. Now, those people are either eating those words or trying desperately to forget how wrong they were about the former second-round pick.  

In almost every case it takes time for a receiver to develop and it will usually take longer the lower they were drafted. Green Bay actually got lucky with what they got from fifth and sixth rounders Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown. Two large targets with good speed and the ability to succeed from multiple alignments combined for 59 receptions, 909 yards, and two touchdowns in 2018. 

Rarely do receivers, especially late rounders, have much of a jump in their second seasons. The last Packers receiver to see a considerable amount of progression in year two was Randall Cobb but even he was a second-round pick. Late rounders are projects and this still very much applies to Valdes-Scantling and St. Brown despite uplifting numbers last season.  

Exploring further as we revisit last year, the few receivers to have what you might call “impressive” second years were Pittsburg Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kenny Golladay of the Detroit Lions, and Corey Davis from the Tennessee Titans. All of whom were second, third, and first-round picks respectively. 

The fact that Green Bay will be installing a new offense under Matt LaFleur isn’t going to help their young guys. It will probably feel a lot like their rookie seasons in terms of getting up to speed. This isn’t a shot at Valdes-Scantling, St. Brown, or even J’mon Moore. Even similar numbers to what they produced in 2018 would help the Packers next year, but expecting some type of “leap” is a stretch. 

Valdes-Scantling and St.Brown need to continue to watch Adams and the way he approaches his craft. They both have bright futures but they have a lot of work to do to become Rodgers’ number two option. Meanwhile, Moore should focus on making the most of every rep he gets because his roster spot is far from a gimme.

Green Bay should take some uncertainty out of the question by adding talent to the receivers group this offseason but if they don’t it will be asking a lot of their young trio in 2019. 

 

 

Brandon Carwile is a Packers writer who also enjoys watching and breaking down film. Follow him on Twitter @PackerScribe.

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Comments (2)

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TKWorldWide's picture

February 24, 2019 at 08:01 pm

70 receptions, 1,000 yards, and 10 TD’s.
Yeah, baby, yeah!

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TKWorldWide's picture

February 26, 2019 at 09:27 pm

But what I’d really like to know is a quick and easy way to make just over $19,000 in the first month. I’m even willing to run 3 to 4 hours every day.

Can anybody help a guy out?

Meluvis? You out there buddy?

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