All-NFC North Team: Any Packers Join Justin Jefferson at Receiver?

When Jordan Love replaced Aaron Rodgers as quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, he was handed the NFL’s youngest receiver corps and asked to grow alongside them.

When the Minnesota Vikings handed the keys to the franchise to quarterback J.J. McCarthy, he was given Hall of Famer-in-waiting Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson leads the way at receiver in the All-NFC North Team. Our NFC North beat writers ranked their top six receivers. Jefferson received all four first-place votes.

“There’s really nothing to say that hasn’t already been well established,” Vikings On SI’s Joe Nelson said. “He’s arguably the best receiver in football and it hasn’t mattered who’s throwing the football. He’s been amazing with Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Sam Darnold — and now the football is firmly in the hands of 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy. So long as McCarthy puts the ball in Jefferson’s atmosphere, he’s going to come down with about 100 catches, rack up 1,500 yards, and catch about 10 touchdowns.” 

Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions received all four second-place votes.

“St. Brown broke Calvin Johnson’s franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie in his debut campaign and has since rattled off three straight 1,000-yard seasons,” Lions On SI’s John Maakaron noted. A two-time first-team All-Pro, St. Brown is a “savvy route-runner” who can “take the top off” the defense.

Those results were predictable. Chicago Bears star D.J. Moore also made the first team with two third-place votes, one fourth-place vote and one sixth-place vote for a total of 16 points.

“D.J. Moore noticed all the targets added on to the Bears roster, like Colston Loveland, Olamide Zaccheaus and Luther Burden III, and expressed the thought he could be getting fewer targets this season,” Bears On SI’s Gene Chamberlain said. “It’s possible the top Bears pass catcher in the last two seasons will see the ball less in Ben Johnson’s offense but he could be getting it with more open running lanes.”

On the second team were the Vikings’ Jordan Addison (one third-place vote, two fourth-place votes and one sixth-place vote for 17 points), the Packers’ Jayden Reed (one fourth-place vote, two fifth-place votes and one sixth-place vote for a total of 20 points) and Detroit’s Jameson Williams (listed on three ballots with one third-place vote, one fifth-place vote, one sixth-place vote). Chicago’s Rome Odunze is the only other receiver to get a vote (one for sixth place).

Reed is the best player in Green Bay’s receiver corps. A second-round pick in 2023, he has led the team in receptions and receiving yards in each of his two seasons. Last season, he was 61st in the NFL with 55 receptions, 35th with 857 yards and 31st with six touchdowns but an impressive fifth with 15.6 yards per reception.

The Packers don’t have a No. 1 receiver but Reed looked the part at times. In the first nine games of last season, he caught four passes for 138 yards and one touchdown against the Eagles, seven passes for 139 yards and one touchdown against the Vikings and five passes for 113 yards against the Lions.

And then, he disappeared. During the final eight games, he had only one game of more than three receptions and one of 50-plus yards. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, Reed has had a hard time withstanding the punishment of being a featured player.

Reed excels in two areas. One is after the catch. Last year, 84 receivers were targeted at least 50 times. According to Pro Football Focus, Reed ranked sixth with 7.1 yards after the catch per catch.

Two is the deep game. For a player without elite size or elite speed, he has been incredibly productive. Last year, 72 receivers were targeted at least 10 times on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. With 12 catches out of 15 targets, Reed was No. 1 with a catch rate of 80.0 percent. Atlanta’s Darnell Mooney (14-of-22, 63.6 percent) and Jefferson (14-of-23, 60.9 percent) are the only other receivers better than even 60 percent. Reed is fast but it’s his ball-tracking ability that sets him apart.

The Packers drafted two receivers this year. The hope is first-round pick Matthew Golden of Texas can become a true No. 1 receiver. The hope is third-round pick Savion Williams, a 222-pounder who excelled as a receiver and runner at TCU, can handle some of the schemed touches that have gone to Reed – a less-is-more way of thinking to bring the best out of Green Bay’s best playmaker.