Early, Middle, Late: Nine Packers Draft Prospects at Receiver

At this time a year ago, with the Green Bay Packers coming off a hot finish to the season, the belief inside 1265 Lombardi Ave. was the team had four receivers who could compete to be the top receiver on a weekly basis.

My, how things have changed.

All of Green Bay’s top four receivers struggled with injuries, inconsistency or both. With all of them set to have their contracts expire following the 2026 season, the Packers enter the 2025 NFL Draft looking for instant impact and reinforcements.

That’s led to a familiar conversation. The Packers need more help at receiver.

Running back Josh Jacobs poured gasoline on that fire when he talked about the Packers’ needing to add a “proven” No. 1 receiver. Davante Adams and DK Metcalf were the top names, but neither appeared to be seriously considered by Green Bay.

Thus, the Packers will have to address the position through the draft. Here is a look at some of the receivers Green Bay could look at on each day of the draft.

Day 1

Matthew Golden, Texas

Go ahead, make your joke about how the Packers do not draft receivers in the first round. They’ve all been told, but this really could be the year the Packers take a receiver in the first round for the first time since Javon Walker in 2002.

Matthew Golden, who had a predraft visit with the Packers, brings an element that is certainly missing from Green Bay’s receiver corps following Christian Watson’s torn ACL.

Speed.

Golden paired with fellow speedster Isaiah Bond to form a dynamic duo that led Texas all the way to the national semifinals before falling to the eventual champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Next, Golden was the fastest receiver at the Scouting Combine, finishing the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds.

There are some questions as to whether his play speed matches his fast time on the track. Football speed is different than track speed, of course.

Even if he is a couple of tenths slower than his 40-time suggests, the Packers could use his skill-set as a boundary receiver that can also line up in the slot. The loss of Watson magnifies the need for someone like him on the outside.

Golden’s potential makes it possible he won’t be available when the Packers are on the clock at 23. If he is, they may consider him.

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Emeka Egbuka also took a predraft visit to Green Bay.

The Packers have done a lot of homework on the top receivers in this draft class, and Egbuka was another potential first-round pick they had in for one of their predraft visits.

Egbuka finished No. 1 in school history in receptions and No. 2 in receiving yards, which is no small feat considering Ohio State’s depth chart at receiver usually looks like one that could rival a room in the NFL.

Egbuka may never have been the top receiver at Ohio State, but he was always productive. He caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022, 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024.

He’s not overly big, or overly fast, but he does do everything well. Perhaps the most important part when it comes to playing for Matt LaFleur, he is a willing blocker in the run game.

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

Tet McMillan has not been on a visit to Green Bay, but he does have a strong connection to the Packers as Brian Gutekunst reportedly was the only general manager to attend McMillan’s individual workout in March.

Would Gutekunst have done that if there were not legitimate interest in the Arizona receiver? The guess here is that Gutekunst is not willing to waste what precious little time he has in the name of subterfuge.

While Golden is fast and Egbuka is polished, McMillan is big at 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds. While there are questions about his speed and how that will translate to the NFL, he led all freshmen in receiving yards in 2022, was a third-team All-American in 2023 and a second-team All-American in 2024.

Day 2

Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

Of the receivers that could be taken after Green Bay’s first-round pick, Higgins appears to have emerged as the favorite. He’s big (6-foot-4 1/8), fast (4.47 in the 40) and catches everything thrown in his direction (140 receptions, three drops in two seasons at ISU).

Higgins has a chance to be a top receiver for a team at the NFL level. He checks every single box Green Bay loves and would be a seamless fit into their offense. He could step in and immediately do some of the things they were asking Watson to do.

He’d be a large target for Jordan Love, and could be an immediate contributor as a rookie as a boundary receiver and in the slot.

Isaiah Bond, Texas

Isaiah Bond had a predraft visit with the Packers recently. Their interest in the speedster may go completely out the window depending on the facts from a sexual-assault warrant for which he turned himself into police. He called the allegations “patently false.”

On the field, Bond’s speed is likely to attract the Packers as a potential fill-in for Christian Watson.

In 2024, he transferred to Texas from Alabama and caught 34 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns. He was limited toward the end of the season with an ankle injury, missing the first playoff game against Clemson and being nonfactors in the subsequent games against Arizona State and Ohio State.

When he is on the field, he has the type of speed that cannot be taught and affects opposing defenses even if he’s not being thrown the ball.

Jalen Royals, Utah State

Royals would be a fun addition to Green Bay’s receiver room because he may be the best receiver in the class after the catch. YAC is a big part of Green Bay’s offense; Jordan Love was the fourth-largest beneficiary in yards after the catch per catch last season.

Royals is another one of the receivers in this class that can threaten to take the top off opposing defenses. He averaged 15.2 yards per catch the last two seasons through his ability to run by defensive backs or make them miss in the open field.

He may require a bit of a learning curve because of the offense he played in at Utah State, but the Packers could work him along slowly, using him as a role player thanks to the presence of Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed.

Elic Ayomanor, Stanford

Elic Ayomanor is one of the most seamless fits in this draft class for Green Bay at receiver.

He’s big and fast, but the questions surround whether he can be a top receiver due to the run-heavy offense he played in and the team’s issues at quarterback.  

He does, at minimum, have the speed to threaten opposing defenses down the field, something the Packers are missing without Watson. Ayomanor’s 4.44 40-yard dash and 38.5-inch vertical jump combined with his physicality and mentality make his skill-set enticing.

Day 3

Dont’e Thornton, Tennessee

Dont’e Thornton might be only a one trick pony at this stage of his career, but it is one heck of a trick. Thornton is a burner. His speed threatens opposing defenses down the field, and he pulls safeties with him. That type of speed is what made Watson so valuable even when he was not being thrown the ball.

His 4.3 40-yard-dash shows up in games, as he led the nation with 25.4 yards per reception. At 6-foot-4 5/8, he has a Marquez Valdes-Scantling-style skill-set.

Ricky White, UNLV

Ricky White may not fit the prototypical size and speed the Packers have valued at the position, but for a receiver that would be taken on the third day of the draft, White does bring value to special teams. That’s typically the ticket to get on the field for a Day 3 pick.

White blocked four punts in his career between UNLV and Michigan State, and earned the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year for his contributions.

On offense, he is a savvy route runner with extensive playing experience and should be able to step into an NFL offense and contribute immediately. If he gets a clean release, he can be an extremely tough cover in man defense.

The key question will be whether the Packers would be able to look past his smaller frame (6-foot-1, 181 pounds).