Photo Credit: Paulo Miguel Garaygay

How the Packers almost had star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins

The Green Bay Packers have had some issues at wide receiver over the years, but they had a great opportunity to fix it. Can you imagine a duo of DeAndre Hopkins and Aaron Rodgers with Davante Adams as the No. 2 option? That offense would be nearly impossible to stop.

Some fans will wonder why that is being brought up. Hopkins was traded this offseason, but he went to the Arizona Cardinals. And no, we aren’t talking about the Packers almost making a trade for him this offseason.

It all goes back to the 2013 NFL Draft, where Hopkins ended up going No. 27 overall to the Houston Texans. Do you remember who held the No. 26 overall pick? That’s right, the Packers held that pick.

Instead of taking Hopkins, the Packers chose to go with UCLA defensive end Datone Jones. That pick ended up being a bust and Green Bay missed out on pairing Rodgers with one of the top wide receivers that the NFL has seen in recent history.

Looking back on that mistake, the Packers have to feel a lot of regret. Hopkins would have changed everything about the current situation they are in. Having him on the roster likely would have helped push the franchise closer to Super Bowl contention.

Granted, hindsight is always 20/20 and it is easy to say that the team made a huge mistake. However, even back then, Hopkins would have been a great fit and was a better and more talented player than Jones.

Since taking over as general manager, Brian Gutekunst has shown a much more aggressive approach to free agency and the NFL Draft. One has to wonder if things would have been different with a more aggressive mindset back in 2013.

One thing is for sure, which is the fact that the Packers are in desperate need of another playmaker at wide receiver. Adams is one of the top wideouts in the NFL, but he needs a legitimate No. 2 option behind him. A duo of Hopkins and Adams would have been unstoppable and it hurts to look back and see the missed opportunity.

Passing on Hopkins is a mistake that quite a few teams made. Green Bay has to live with the fact that he went with the very next pick after their opportunity to take him and the fact that the guy they did pick ended up being a major bust.

All of that being said, all we can do is wonder and think about what could have been if the Packers had taken DeAndre Hopkins at No. 26 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. It was almost a reality.

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