What is the Packers’ biggest draft need in 2024?
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We have two questions for you this week, both centered around what the future of this team is going to look like. Let’s get into it.
Question 1: What is the Packers’ biggest draft need in 2024?
We’re giving you four options here: safety, offensive line, quarterback and other. If you pick other, please drop a reply down in the comment section and let us know what position you would have picked.
Personally, I think I would go with the safety position here, as the team is so thin there at players who are actually under contract for next season. The Packers currently roster five safeties on the 53-man active roster, not including Darnell Savage — who is on the injured reserve. Between those six players, only special teamer Zayne Anderson and reserve safety Anthony Johnson Jr. are under contract for next season. Combined, those two players have played a total of 72 defensive snaps for the 2023 squad.
With that being said, some fans think that improving at left tackle (or even quarterback) is crucial to the team’s success moving forward. Where do you stand?
Question 2: Who are the Packers’ best outside receivers?
This has been a hot debate in the Packers-sphere this week. For the sake of this argument, let’s narrow down the options by calling Jayden Reed a slot receiver, the role that he’s been playing this season.
The efficiency of Packers WR targets since 2018.
Routes count via ESPN. Targeted on INT via PFR. AYard treats TDs as +20 and INTs as -45. Value is AYard over/under expectation based on the GB average over this time among qualifiers. pic.twitter.com/tQgIsAsTS0
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) November 14, 2023
On paper, Christian Watson, who looked like the Packers’ best receiver last season, has been an incredibly inefficient target this season — in part because contested catch opportunities to the second-year player have turned into interceptions going the other way. Personally, I’m not sure that we’re seeing a 100 percent healthy Watson on the field right now, as he’s not separating in the same way that he was last year.
Along with Reed’s breakout, rookie fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks is also performing very well on a per-snap basis, which you would think would lead to an increased amount of snaps at some point. If I had to choose two outside receivers to roll with moving forward, I think I would bet on a Watson bounceback and give Wicks the nod over Romeo Doubs.