The Green Bay Packers haven’t drafted a receiver in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. That’s 20 years. You have to go back another 14 years since their previous first-round receiver, Sterling Sharpe in 1988.
That’s two receivers taken in the first round of the last 34 drafts. Could the Packers take two first-round receivers in a span of about 34 minutes on April 28?
In a mock draft for NFL Draft Bible, Jack Borowsky double-dipped to overcome the trade of Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders and the potential departure of Marquez Valdes-Scantling via free agency.
With the 22nd overall selection – the No. 1 pick obtained in the Adams trade – the Packers grabbed a receiver who’s been frequently mocked to Green Bay.
With the 28th overall selection, Borowsky went with Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce.
“The Packers have always been against drafting a wide receiver in the first round but if they want to win a championship, they might need to take two,” Borowsky wrote. “Pierce is a true X, with the athleticism and jumping ability that Aaron Rodgers will love. Pierce has been compared to Jordy Nelson as a prospect.”
Pierce has a superior physical skill-set. At the Scouting Combine, he measured 6-foot-1 3/8 and 211 pounds. He ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds. Along with imposing height, he’s got a 40.5-inch vertical jump.
He lit up Notre Dame for six catches for 144 yards but managed only two grabs for 17 yards in the playoff game against Alabama.
“It wouldn't be shocking to see Pierce establish himself as one of the best contested-catch receivers in the NFL early on in his career,” Draft Bible noted in November in naming him the top senior receiver prospect. “Not only is he able to high point the ball, Pierce's body control, length and hands make every ball thrown his way catchable. When Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder looks Pierce's way, he knows if he throws it in Pierce's general vicinity, he is coming down with the football.”
Pierce closed his career with a bang. As a senior, he caught 52 passes for 884 yards (17.0 average) and eight touchdowns.
“I think I’ve been developing those [ball] skills my entire life,” he told The Draft Network recently. “I played a bunch of different sports growing up. When I think of my ball-tracking abilities, and my ability to high-point the football, I think back to playing basketball and a ton of volleyball. Volleyball requires a ton of hand-eye coordination when you’re going up and hitting the ball at its highest point. I attribute all of that to my diverse background in sports. I’ve developed a competitive nature over the years. I grew up in a family of all boys and we played a ton of sports. It’s always been a part of me.”
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