After Dontayvion Wicks trade, do Packers need to draft receiver? | Mailbag

Green Bay Packers wide receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed celebrate after Watson scores a touchdown against the Chicago Bears.

Detroit has Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30M) and Jameson Williams ($26.7M).

Cincinnati has Ja’Marr Chase ($40.2M) and Tee Higgins ($28.7M).

Denver has Jaylen Waddle ($28.3M) and Courtland Sutton ($23M).

And the Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb ($34M) and George Pickens ($27.3M).

With the way the salary cap and salaries are going up every year, there will be more.

It’s a given Watson will surpass $20M if/when he signs an extension. I’d look for something in the range of what Indianapolis paid Alec Pierce ($28.5M) this offseason.

Reed’s a tough one, though. A year ago at this time, I thought it’s a given the Packers would sign him to a second contract. But he’s had more than his share of injuries and missed 10 games last season because of a broken collarbone. He’s a smaller receiver, and the Packers have to be concerned with his durability.

So you’re right, they might not extend him at $20M-plus, and this could be his last season with the Packers.

Now, they have Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, so assuming they extend Watson that still will give them three high draft picks at that position in ‘27 (Watson was a D2, Golden a D1 and Williams a D3).

I might be wrong here, but I’m thinking receiver is unlikely in the second and third rounds unless they really, really like a guy. I’m thinking more likely the fourth round or later. With seven picks, there are going to be positions they don’t draft, and it wouldn’t surprise if they picked two cornerbacks. But I’d at least agree that more likely than not they’ll come out of this draft with a receiver. I’m just guessing it won’t be in the second or third rounds.

Still, of the receivers they’ve brought in for pre-draft visits, one, Georgia State’s Ted Hurst, is looking like a possible second- or third-round pick. So you might be right.

Randall: We've now lost two of our top four WRs from last year. We've gone from a deep position group to just three good WRs, and they get injured. Can Williams, [Bo] Melton or Will Sheppard step up to be the fourth WR?

Dougherty: Trading Dontayvion Wicks wasn’t risk-free for this very reason. If the Packers lose two of their top three or four receivers for an extended time, it will take a big bite out of their offense, even if they have some receiving talent at tight end.

But Williams needs to get on the field to see what they have there. He could improve a lot from the start of camp to the end of the season. He did next to nothing as a receiver last year, but he did play through a foot injury much of the season that cost him five of the final six games and hindered his performance before that.

The Packers spent a third-round draft pick on him, and they most assuredly didn’t need a receiver when they picked him, so they really liked his talent. They need to get him on the field now to see if he can add something to their offense. Hard not to think he’ll be their No. 4.

Melton provides an injury fallback. I’m in the camp that they overused him at receiver last season. I know Matt LaFleur really likes his competitiveness and professionalism, but he’s a small target, and while he’s fast in a straight line he’s not one of those super-dynamic smaller guys. But in an injury pinch, he’s fine, knows the offense, all that stuff.

I guess Skyy Moore could be another fallback. The Packers paid him a $1M bonus, which means they think he’s going to make the roster as their return guy. I have my doubts about whether he can help much as a receiver, though maybe as a slot guy he could at least be a threat in jet-sweep action.

Moore caught only five passes on seven targets in 17 games with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, and his career high for receptions in a season is 22 as a rookie. So things probably are dicey on the injury front if he’s playing much at receiver. But he at least could run jet sweeps (and fake jet sweeps) from the slot, and maybe catch the occasional bubble screen.

But yeah, there are going to be injuries, and Wicks no longer is there to fill in. Williams will have to play at some point this year.

This article originally appeared on Packers News: After Dontayvion Wicks trade, must Green Bay Packers draft receiver?