An Incredible Fact About Packers’ Receiver Corps

As the talent has declined, so has the production for Green Bay's once-powerful passing attack and formerly unstoppable QB, Aaron Rodgers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Once again, it will be up to Aaron Rodgers to carry the load in the passing game.

Once upon a time, the Green Bay Packers fielded consistently one of the great offenses in the NFL. In 2011, when the Packers fielded one of the most productive offenses the game has ever seen, they overwhelmed opponents with Greg Jennings,  Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Donald Driver and Randall Cobb at receiver.

However, as the talent has declined, so has the production. Nelson was released after the 2017 season. Cobb was not retained after the 2018 season. And all along, the Packers failed to plan ahead for those departures by replenishing the depth chart with quality talent.

Incredibly, Green Bay is the only team in the league to not draft a receiver in the first three rounds of any of the last five drafts – 2016 through 2020. Going back further, the Packers have used only two first-, second- or third-round picks on receivers over the past nine drafts. Davante Adams, a second-rounder in 2014, was a tremendous pick; Ty Montgomery, a third-rounder in 2015, was a bad pick, even with Montgomery showing some flashes upon his move to running back.

Here are the number of receivers drafted by each team in the first three rounds of the last five drafts (with first-round picks in parentheses).

Denver: 4 (Jerry Jeudy).

San Francisco: 4 (Brandon Aiyuk).

Pittsburgh: 4.

Baltimore: 3 (Marquise Brown).

Cincinnati: 3 (John Ross).

Oakland/Las Vegas: 3 (Henry Ruggs).

Tennessee: 3 (Corey Davis).

Arizona: 3.

Minnesota: 2 (Laquon Treadwell, Justin Jefferson).

Carolina: 2 (D.J. Moore).

Dallas: 2 (CeeDee Lamb).

Houston: 2 (Will Fuller).

Philadelphia: 2 (Jalen Reagor).

Washington: 2 (Josh Doctson).

Indianapolis: 2.

Jacksonville: 2.

L.A. Rams: 2.

New Orleans : 2.

Seattle: 2.

N.Y. Jets: 2.

Atlanta: 1 (Calvin Ridley).

Cleveland: 1 (Corey Coleman).

L.A. Chargers: 1 (Mike Milliams).

New England: 1 (N’Keal Harry).

Buffalo: 1.

Chicago: 1.

Detroit: 1.

Kansas City: 1.

Miami: 1.

N.Y. Giants: 1.

Tampa Bay: 1.

Green Bay: 0.