NFL Draft: Super Six Packers Prospects at Receiver

The Green Bay Packers have an obvious need at receiver entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Here is an in-depth look at the top six prospects who could entice the Packers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers don’t need to draft a receiver. They need to draft multiple receivers.

While Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs could form the next dynamic duo, there are only three other receivers under contract: Samori Toure (five catches), Bo Melton (zero catches) and Jeff Cotton (zero catches).

While the tight end class is much stronger than usual, the receiver class – at least the top of it – is weaker than normal. That’s especially true for teams like the Packers.

Dating to 2005 (the late-Ted Thompson’s first draft) through 2022 (general manager Brian Gutekunst’s fifth draft), the Packers have drafted just one receiver shorter than 5-foot-10. That’s Amari Rodgers, who at 5-foot-9 1/2 was given a pass because he weighed 212 pounds.

That history is hard to ignore, so we are ignoring several high-profile receivers, such as Boston College’s Zay Flowers, North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Cincinnati’s Tyler Scott and Houston’s Tank Dell, all of whom are shorter than 5-foot-10 and don’t have the Rodgers-style bulk. That eliminates four prospects who could go in the first three rounds.

Here are our Super Six receiver prospects. Our rankings are weighed a bit more to receivers who can play in the slot, though Watson, Doubs and Toure all got time inside as rookies. Analytical stats are provided by Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (USA Today Sports Images)

Measureables: 6-foot 5/8, 196 pounds, 9 hands. 4.52 40, 3.93 shuttle, 8.34 RAS.

Stats and accolades: Even while sharing targets with 2022 NFL first-round draft picks Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Smith-Njigba dominated in 2021. Here’s his slot-only production and where it ranked nationally, according to PFF: fifth with 87 receptions, third with 1,367 yards and seventh with eight touchdowns. Overall, he wound up beating Wilson and Olave in receptions (95 compared to 70 for Wilson and 65 for Olave) and yards (1,606 vs. 1,058 for Wilson and 936 for Olave). The yardage total broke a 20-year-old Big Ten record. In the Rose Bowl, he caught 15 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. However, he missed most of 2022 with a hamstring injury.

Analytical stats: Because Smith-Njigba barely played in 2022, this will focus on his 2021 numbers. Of 74 receivers in the 2023 draft class to be targeted at least 50 times in the passing game, he ranked first with 4.01 yards per route run and 31st with a drop rate of 5.9 percent. He was 9-of-10 in contested-catch opportunities and caught 13-of-18 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. He forced a missed tackle on 27 percent of his catches and averaged 8.6 yards after the catch. He finished third in YAC per catch and fourth with 19 missed tackles. He ran 15 unique routes.

How he fits: With Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs on the outside, Smith-Njigba could step into the slot and give new starting quarterback Jordan Love a premier package.

“I just think my playmaking ability is second to none in this draft,” he said at the Combine. “I see myself as a top-five player, not just receiver. I see myself as a top-five player in this draft, just being able to make plays and given the opportunities, you know, you throw me the ball seven to nine times, I can win you the game. And I think that speaks for itself.”

Athlon says: Smith-Njigba is an absolute surgeon as a route-runner thanks to a combination of quick feet, exceptional body control and fluid athleticism. Along with an innate feel for setting up defensive backs, he's a flexible athlete who is incredibly sharp getting in and out of cuts.

“I always think I’m one of one. I'm myself,” he said at the Combine. “But I definitely watch film of receivers. Davante Adams and his feet, Stefon Diggs and his overexaggerating route running and Cooper Kupp the way he finds space and takes advantage of the defense. A lot of players, I just try to steal little things from.”

Personal touch: Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline has created an NFL assembly line. He placed Smith-Njigba second on his all-time pecking order. "And the only reason why I feel very comfortable saying that, because Chris [Olave} and Garrett [Wilson] chose him, as well," Hartline said.

He’s always been a stud. He was a Texas player of the year after finishing his career with an astounding 82 career touchdowns – 34 of which came as a senior. He caught the school’s attention during a camp when he was in eighth grade.

“We figured out real quick that Jaxon knew all of the routes, knew how to run them already. He’d get out there and run a post-corner, then we just started making stuff up,” Rockwall High School coach Trey Brooks told The Athletic.

“I was sending videos to my buddies that follow us like, ‘Look at this kid.’ I’ll never forget seeing him run double-move routes. We’re giving him whatever we can think of, and he was able to do it so easily as an eighth-grader. And at that age, it wasn’t just that he was bigger, stronger and faster than everyone else. He could just play. He’s a natural route runner. That’s what made him stand out. He wasn’t this huge, physical freak.”

Sports are part of the family. His father played linebacker at Stephen F. Austin. His brother, Canaan, is an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The kids’ training started at an early age.

"My goal was to tire them out so when we got home, all I had to do was feed them, bathe them and put them to sleep," their father, Maada, told Fox Sports. "Then they started getting on [local] teams and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, these guys are good! They can play!’”

Jordan Addison, USC

Jordan Addison (USA Today Sports Images)

Measureables: 5-11 1/8, 173 pounds, 8 3/4 hands. 4.49 40, 4.19 shuttle, 5.90 RAS

Stats and accolades: In three seasons – two at Pittsburgh and 2022 at USC – Addison caught 219 passes for 3,134 yards (14.3 average) and 29 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver in 2021 with 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns. With the Trojans in 2022, he caught 59 passes for 875 yards (14.8 average) and eight scores.

Analytical stats: Of 104 receivers in the 2023 draft class to be targeted at least 50 times in the passing game, he ranked 10th with 2.78 yards per route run and 18th with a drop rate of 3.3 percent. He was only 2-of-9 in contested-catch opportunities but caught 9-of-17 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. (At Pitt in 2021, he caught 22-of-40 deep balls.) He forced a missed tackle on just 8 percent of his catches but averaged 7.0 yards after the catch. He ran 16 unique routes and went deep 38.5 percent of the time, fourth and sixth, respectively, among SIS’s top 48 receivers.

How he fits: Inside or outside, short of deep, Addison can win every which way. While the numbers were down in 2022, he showed much better hands.

“I feel like I'm the guy that can do anything,” he said at the Combine. “My traits, my God-given abilities, I'm sudden, quick and my route-running is really good. I can track the deep ball. I really can do anything from running an intermediate route, a shallow or deep ball. I'm doubted with my speed a little bit. I am going to show everybody what I can do. Some people slow down when they go into their breaks — I speed up.”

His smallish hands could knock him off the Green Bay board.

Athlon says: His game is built around exceptional quickness, as he creates easy and immediate separation at the snap with his ability to accelerate and change directions. He consistently won against press coverage with quickness off the line of scrimmage.

Personal touch: Addison dominated at Pittsburgh in 2021 en route to Biletnkoff and All-American accolades. “This is my dream,” Addison said. “This has been my dream since I was a young kid. Seeing that amazes me sometimes that I’m living it.” With quarterback Kenny Pickett off to the NFL’s Steelers, Addison transferred to USC – where he joined quarterback Caleb Williams and pocketed more than a million dollars of NIL money.

At Pitt, he drew quick comparisons to former star Antonio Brown. The hype built as he entered his 2021 season. He put it to bed when he went home to talk to his mom and nine siblings. “When I saw (the recognition), I took it in to show my mom, my family,” he told The Pittsburgh Tribune, “and, then, once I came here, now it’s time to go work for it. My mom was very proud. I told her, ‘I ain’t got it yet.’”

One of those siblings was his older brother, Michael, who was a Division II cornerback. “It was pretty tough because he knows me pretty well,” Jordan told The Pittsburgh Tribune. “He knows most of my moves. Growing up, that’s who I looked up to. He was the first one to play football within my family. He can’t guard me, though.”

Before emerging as a college star, Addison was a hot recruit – including by Notre Dame as a cornerback.

“We thought early on in our recruiting efforts that he would be a guy who would do well at the cornerback position because of his length,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “That’s kind of what stood out to us. But obviously he could play other positions as well. We are finding out that he’s going to be one of the top receivers in this league for a few years now.”

Quentin Johnston, TCU

Quentin Johnston (USA Today Sports Images)

Measureables: 6-2 3/4, 208 pounds, 9 5/8 hands. 4.51 40, 4.28 shuttle, 8.66 RAS.

Stats and accolades: In three seasons, Johnston caught 115 passes for 2,190 yards (19.0 average) and 14 touchdowns. In 2022, he grabbed 60 passes for 1,069 yards (a career-low average of 17.8 yards per reception) and six scores. He was first-team all-Big 12 in 2022 and was the MVP of the playoff victory over Michigan with his six receptions for 163 yards and a 76-yard touchdown.

Analytical stats: Of 104 receivers in the 2023 draft class to be targeted at least 50 times in the passing game, he ranked fifth with 3.05 yards per route run but 90th with a drop rate of 11.8 percent. He was 8-for-23 in contested-catch opportunities and caught 10-of-25 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. He forced a missed tackle on 38 percent of his catches, tops in the class, and was third with 8.9 yards after the catch. He ran 12 unique routes and went deep 39 percent of the time, which ranked 28th and 16th, respectively, among SIS’s top 48 receiver prospects.

How he fits: Johnston is the total package with size, athleticism (40.5-inch vertical), ball skills and an incredible knack for a bigger receiver to beat would-be tacklers and pile up yards after the catch. Christian Watson and Johnston on the perimeter could be double trouble for defenses.

"Being a taller receiver, my ability to get in and out of my breaks,” he said at the Combine of an underrated aspect of his game. “Usually, unless you've already been in the league, it takes taller receivers more time to get in and out of breaks. I feel like that's something I've worked on a lot, playing like I'm 5-10.”

Athlon says: A size/speed monster with an unmatched 2022 highlight reel, Johnston dominates when he's at his best. The raw athleticism is off the charts; he's a long but twitched-up mover who eats up ground in a hurry when running vertically. His ball-tracking ability, body control and concentration are exceptional; he's an acrobat in the air who can adjust and make plays in traffic.

Personal touch: When Sonny Dykes took over as coach, he targeted four players he needed to keep on the roster. Only Johnston stayed – and he played a huge role in leading the Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoffs.

“I think it was important not only for his talent, but I think it was also an endorsement from him,” Dykes said in January. “Everybody was looking for somebody to say, ‘Look, I’m jumping on the train.’ And Quentin did that for us. And I think it gave our staff some credibility because, when you take over in today’s era of football, there’s chaos. There’s a lot of guys looking to leave, and there’s people reaching out to them. … And you’re trying to get to know these guys. You’re trying to sell them on your vision for the program.”

Perhaps Johnston’s family background played a role in his loyalty. Both of his parents served in the military – his mom in Desert Storm and his father in Kuwait.

As he said at the Combine: “Temple (Texas is) a small town, not a lot of people make it out. From making it out of there, to doing well in college, to this point, I can't ask for anything better. I'm excited for me and my family for sure. For kids to be looking up to me, I'm not an emotional guy, but when I think about everything I've been through and everybody who looks up to me, it's something very special.”

Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

Jalin Hyatt (USA Today Sports Images)

Measureables: 6-foot 1/8, 176 pounds, 9 hands. 4.40 40, 4.33 shuttle, 8.75 RAS.

Stats and accolades: Hyatt had a bananas final season with 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and a FBS-leading 15 touchdowns to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. He averaged 18.9 yards per catch. Through the first two-and-a-half seasons of his career, he scored nine touchdowns. Then he caught six passes for 207 yards and five touchdowns vs. Alabama. During the final seven games, he scored 10 touchdowns and topped 130 yards on four occasions.

Analytical stats: Of 104 receivers in the 2023 draft class to be targeted at least 50 times in the passing game, he ranked third with 3.27 yards per route run and 57th with a drop rate of 6.9 percent. He was 3-for-5 in contested-catch opportunities and caught 14-of-24 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield with a draft class-leading eight touchdowns. He forced a missed tackle on only 12 percent of his catches but averaged 7.3 yards after the catch. He ran 12 unique routes and went deep 35 percent of the time, both of which ranked 28th among SIS’s top 48 receiver prospects.

How he fits: Hyatt is a long-ball artist who could provide some incredible big-play ability if paired with Christian Watson. Imagine the play-action possibilities. They’d also open up the middle of the field for whoever is drafted at tight end.

“When I step on a field just knowing nobody can cover me as far as with speed, making that threat for defenders, taking advantage of that,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “As far as when I run to them if I do have a free release, how they backpedal, they try to get out a little quicker, get out a little faster, it actually sets up more stuff for digs or for hooks or curls, other route tree that I have. I think the speed it translates, it's big for the NFL.”

Most of his routes came from the slot. That would fit in the NFL, too, as it would keep him out of press coverage.

“There are some teams that think I should just play slot, but I believe I can play everywhere on the field,” he said at pro day. “I have some outside reps, I’ve played outside before. I know what to do on the outside. All of that. Just playing receiver comes easy to me. At the same time, you’re still a receiver and you’re still going out there and making plays. It doesn’t matter where I’m at. Wherever the coaches think I can play at, or wherever they think I feel comfortable at, I just can’t wait to get on the team. Can’t wait to just go out there and play.”

Athlon says: The ultra-fast Hyatt consistently blew defensive backfields away during his breakout 2022 season. Speed is his calling card, and he emerged as college football's most dangerous deep threat last season.

Personal touch: Hyatt, a native of Irmo, S.C., who scored 57 touchdowns at Dutch Pork High School, was a hot recruit but was deemed too slight-of-build at about 155 pounds. Both of his home-state teams said thanks but no thanks.

"It sucked not getting an offer from your hometown school because I feel like they should be the first ones to offer," Hyatt told ESPN. "But they never did, and I know why. Things work out the way they're supposed to, and I'm glad they thought I was too small. It helped lead me here, and look at what all I would have missed."

As his father recalled of a conversation with then-South Carolina coach Will Muschamp in the interview with ESPN, "Man, you're fast, but you need to eat more peanut butter."

Hyatt has an athletic background. His father played college basketball, his mom was a sprinter and his younger brother, Devin, will be a freshman on Arizona’s football team.

Cedric Tillman, Tennessee

Cedric Tillman (USA Today Sports Images)

Measureables: 6-3 3/8, 213 pounds, 10 hands. 4.54 40, DNP shuttle, 8.67 RAS.

Stats and accolades: Tillman caught eight passes from 2018 through 2020, then caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards (16.9 average) and 12 touchdowns in 2021. A high-ankle sprain limited him for most of 2022, limiting him to 37 catches for 417 yards (11.3 average) and three touchdowns.

Analytical stats: Of 104 receivers in the 2023 draft class to be targeted at least 50 times in the passing game, he ranked 46th with 2.01 yards per route run and 32nd with a drop rate of 5.1 percent. He was 6-for-14 in contested-catch opportunities and caught just 3-of-15 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield (compared to 13-of-18 and 12-of-27, respectively, in 2021). He forced a missed tackle on 8 percent of his catches and averaged 2.9 yards after the catch, both rates among the worst in the class. He ran nine unique routes and went deep 33 percent of the time, which ranked 45th and 35th, respectively, among SIS’s top 48 receiver prospects.

How he fits: The Packers like big receivers – and if they’ve got big hands, all the better. Tillman checks all the boxes. Ignore the 2022 numbers and look at how he dominated in 2021. However, is he just a one-year wonder?

Athlon says: Tillman is a power forward–type receiver with impressive body control for his size. His ability to wall off defensive backs with his broad frame is his biggest advantage, but his length, strong hands, competitiveness and concentration also combine to make him a force in contested-catch situations.

Personal touch: Tillman’s father, also named Cedric, was an 11th-round draft pick by Denver in 1992. In four seasons as a receiver for the Broncos and Jaguars, he caught 87 passes for 1,227 yards and seven touchdowns.

“I just remember I was around 6 or 7 years old and I remember my dad just said come in the car right quick and took me to flag football practice,” Tillman recalled on a podcast. “Ever since then I’ve been playing football. It’s just that I saw my dad and brother play so it’s just like OK, they did it, so I’m supposed to do it. And I just fell in love with the game. …

“My dad … coached me my whole life. From elementary school to high school. He’s hard on me, but that’s just because he has high expectations. He sees a lot of himself in me. A lot of times when I’m frustrated with him or anything like that, I just remember he just wants to see me be great. That’s definitely a person I look up to.”

Despite the genetics, he was ranked No. 246 among receiver in his recruiting class.

“Sometimes players like me can get lost up in the recruiting scheme,” he told 247 Sports. “The late-bloomers, sometimes we get lost, caught up. But it paid off now, so I don’t think those thousand guys that were in front of me, I don’t know what they’re doing now.”

In three seasons, Tillman had 124 receiving yards. Still, Vols receivers coach Kodi Burns thought big things were ahead. "He called me up into his office," Tillman recalled, "and he said there is no reason why I shouldn't have a 1,000-yard season. It definitely became a goal of mine, and I'm definitely going to try and get it."

Jonathan Mingo, Mississippi

Jonathan Mingo (USA Today Sports Images)

Measureables: 6-1 3/4, 220 pounds, 10 3/8 hands. 4.46 40, 4.25 shuttle, 9.86 RAS.

Stats and accolades: In four seasons, Mingo caught 112 passes for 1,758 yards (15.7 average) and 12 touchdowns, topped by his 51 grabs for 861 yards (16.9 average) and five touchdowns as a senior to earn second-team all-SEC.

Analytical stats: Of 104 receivers in the 2023 draft class to be targeted at least 50 times in the passing game, he ranked 41st with 2.14 yards per route run and 60th with a drop rate of 7.3 percent. He was 7-of-17 in contested-catch opportunities and caught 10-of-27 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. He forced a missed tackle on 24 percent of his catches and averaged 7.3 yards after the catch, 12th-best. He ran 16th unique routes and went deep 33 percent of the time, which ranked fourth and 35th, respectively, among SIS’s top 48 receiver prospects. He was guilty of four penalties, tied for the most among our top 25 receiver prospects.

How he fits: Roughly speaking, Mingo played two snaps on the outside for every one in the slot. So, he fits the mold as the big slot receiver – something Allen Lazard did so well. Those 10 3/8-inch hands should help him catch the ball as well as block smaller slot defenders.

“I feel like I just can’t be stopped,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Once I get the ball in my hands, I feel like nobody can bring me down I feel like I have great run-after-the-catch because I got a lot of tools in my bag.”

NFL Draft Bible says: Stout for a receiver, frame is reminiscent of Ole Miss pass catchers in the NFL. Liken his skill-set to an outside receiver with some versatility in the slot or tighter alignments. Utilized on locked hitches and smoke screens in the quick game. Want the ball in his hands where his pace and strength garner yards. An acrobat in the air, body control, and strength to maintain balance through the catch point.

Personal touch: Mingo caught nine passes for a school-record 247 yards against Vanderbilt. It was especially meaningful based on the calendar. “I had surgery last year around this time in October,” to repair a broken foot. “I had it again in April to make sure everything would be straight during the season. So, it’s a blessing out there in the field. I don’t take (any) day for granted.”

The broken foot meant Mingo was down. But he wasn’t out. Faith and his mom kept him positive through tough times. “Jonathan is a very humble, loving, encouraging, motivating individual who doesn't always just look out for him,” his mother, Tonja, told DJournal.com. “He’s wanting to have a huge breakout season … But at the same time, he’s hoping that his other teammates, especially those that are playing their last year in college, that they have a great season as well. He doesn’t want to just take it all in for himself.”

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