There aren’t many people within the Green Bay Packers organization who are focused on the 2024 NFL Draft. Winners of two games in a row and three of their last four, Green Bay is right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture heading into a massive Week 13 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
While the Packers are focused on that and finishing the season out as strongly as possible, there are some NFL analysts who have begun turning their attention to 2024. With NCAA Football nearing Bowl Season, evaluators are ramping up their preparation.
This could be the last time to see some of the top prospects in the country in action as it has become popular for players to sit out Bowl Games to prepare for the NFL Draft. For the Packers, they could go in a number of different directions coming draft day.
How Jordan Love finishes the 2023 campaign will impact how the franchise attacks the quarterback position this offseason. Building up the offensive line in front of Love or whoever the starting quarterback will be is important.
NFL News & Rumors: Malik Nabers, Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers Updates
But, if history tells us anything, it is that the Packers are likely to lean defense early in the draft. 11 out of the last 12 first-round picks they have made have come on that side of the ball; the only expectation being Love in 2020.
However, there is one player that ESPN analyst Matt Miller believes the Packers could change their draft thought process for in the first round. That player is LSU star wide receiver, Malik Nabers. If the opportunity presents itself to select him, Miller believes Green Bay should pounce.
“If I’m in the room when the Packers come on the clock, and LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers is on the board, he’s my pick,” Miller wrote in an NFL draft round table. “But this is Green Bay, and GM Brian Gutekunst would never take a receiver in Round 1. That’s too bad because when Love looks good — and there are flashes, for sure — it’s clear that the Packers lack a true WR1 who forces the hand of a defense. Christian Watson has talent but hasn’t been a go-to target for Love. Nabers, with his awesome after-the-catch ability, is an ideal fit for that offense.” (H/T Heavy)
Nabers has been incredible during his tenure with the Tigers. This season he has caught 86 passes for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns as one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL. He has been the main beneficiary in what could be a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign by quarterback Jayden Daniels.
NFL News & Rumors: Malik Nabers, Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers Updates
It is the second consecutive season Nabers has surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau, an impressive feat for any pass catcher in college. He is also the program’s all-time leader in receptions with 186.
The interest in Nabers, or any pass catcher early in the draft, will be determined by how the Packers feel about their current group. There is a lot of youth at the pass-catching positions, as not a single wide receiver entered the 2023 season with more than one year of NFL experience.
Will the Packers want to add another youthful piece to the mix? Or will they look to bring in some veterans in the offseason, holding out hope a player such as Christian Watson can stay healthy and become their No. 1 receiver as they envisioned?
The last six weeks of the NFL season will help determine that for the Packers, who are hoping Watson’s performance on Thanksgiving Day is a sign of things to come.
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