Why the Green Bay Packers will FINALLY take a wide receiver in the first round

It's been 84 years ... OK, it's been more than 20 since the Packers took a first-round receiver. That changes this year and Green Bay is dropping hints.

It’s finally going to happen; the Green Bay Packers are going to take a receiver in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. I can feel some of you pulling away already. I’ve been duped again. The Packers don’t do stuff like this. They just don’t. Well, except for when they wanted to in 2020 and then again in 2022 when they traded two second-round picks for Christian Watson at 34th overall. The only reason he wasn’t a first-round pick is the Minnesota Vikings wanted Lewis Cine too badly to give up their pick.

This is the year to pick a pass rusher! Brian Gutekunst has spent the whole offseason talking about how much he likes this group of pass catchers and how imperative it is the defense be able to rush the passer with four.

They can do both. And I think that’s Plan A right now for the Packers.

Last week, Jason combed through 30 visits (the “top” moniker needs to be dropped as it implies they’re prospects the Packers or any team are most interested in and that’s not true), and concluded receiver and pass rush topped the priority list for the Packers. It also tends to top the to-do list for media types and fans alike, so this is not surprising.

But I want to take it a step further.

Every projected first-round player the Packers have met with to date can be bucketed in one of three categories: wide receivers, edge rushers, and character/injury concern players.