The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers selected Jace Sternberger in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The following year the Packers once again selected a tight end in the third round when they drafted Josiah Deguara.
Sternberger is no longer on the team and Deguara has flashed potential and could be a potential breakout candidate next season.
Outside of Deguara, the long-term outlook for the tight end position in Green Bay is murky.
Will Robert Tonyan get re-signed after suffering a season-ending injury earlier this season? Even if he is re-signed he was nowhere near as productive as he was in 2020 when he hauled in 11 touchdowns.
Will this be the final ride for Marcedes Lewis? The veteran tight end will turn 38 in May and may opt to retire.
Even if Lewis is back next season, the Packers will need to add depth to the tight end room this offseason.
A player that Green Bay could target in the 2022 NFL Draft is Cade Otton. The Washington tight end checks in at No. 68 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
As a redshirt freshman in 2018, Otton had three receiving touchdowns. In 2019, the Washington native caught 32 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns.
In four games in 2020, Otton caught 18 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown against Utah.
Otton, along with the rest of the Washington offense, struggled this past season. Before suffering an ankle injury, Otton caught 28 passes for 250 yards and one score.
“Cade’s 2021 definitely wasn’t his best, especially coming off of a career year in 2020 in terms of production,” Roman Tomashoff, a contributor for Realdawg.com, said. “His injury and a battle with COVID slowed him down, and John Donovan’s offense did him exactly zero favors. I came out of almost every game baffled as to why he didn’t get more targets on a weekly basis.”
Otton is a well-rounded tight end. His production suffered this past season due to an anemic offense.
The Washington tight end has the size (6-5, 250) for the next level. He has reliable hands and will make a killing in the intermediate routes. Otton has the quickness to create separation is quick in and out of his cuts. He’s comfortable making catches in a crowd and only had two drops all season.
He has some wiggle after the catch. He has the quickness to get upfield and the toughness to drag defenders for a few yards.
Otton isn’t going to be a game-changer at the tight end position like Travis Kelce. That doesn’t mean he can’t carve out a huge role in an offense.
“You’re getting a huge target, a reliable pair of hands, and a crisp route runner,” Tomashoff said. “He has the potential to be at the very least a reliable chain mover, and in the right system, he could be a No. 2 target.”
He has the want to as a run blocker. Otton has the upper body strength to create movement as a blocker. While Otton’s trump card is his ability as a blocker, he was severely underutilized in the passing game during his time at Washington.
“I love his run blocking,” Tomashoff said. “He’s very willing to do it, and at 6-6, 250, he’s excellent at it too.”
Fit with the Packers
As highlighted earlier, the Packers need help at the tight end position.
Otton is likely to go late day two or early on day three of the draft.
If the Packers were to select the Washington product, he’d fight for starting reps as a rookie at a position that’s wide open in Green Bay.
Otton has all the tools to develop into a team’s No. 1 tight end. He is an average athlete with reliable hands that can develop into a quarterback’s best friend as a chain mover.
His game gives off Jason Witten-like vibes when Witten was on the downswing of his career. Somebody that will catch everything thrown his way, while being a solid run blocker. He has the capability to play as an inline tight or move tight end.
“I believe that he’s the most complete tight end in the class,” Tomashoff said. “If his ankle checks out and someone grabs him at the end of the second or early third round, he could be considered the steal of the draft in five years.”
