In the 2022 NFL Draft, Brian Gutekunst selected three wide receivers, including Christian Watson with the 34th overall pick. The following year Green Bay’s general manager selected three more wide receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft, including Jayden Reed with the 50th overall pick.
With all that investment into the position, the wide receiver room has turned into a position of strength for Jordan Love and the Packers.
As a rookie, Reed has been arguably Green Bay’s best wide receiver. Watson, when healthy has proven to be a dynamic playmaker. Romeo Doubs leads the team in receptions (56), receiving yards (646) and touchdowns (eight). Dontayvion Wicks has showcased the talent to be a key member of the receiving corps moving forward.
To complete the wide receiver puzzle, Gutekunst could be tempted to draft a wide receiver in the first round to give Love a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver.
By now everybody knows that the Packers haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round since they selected Javon Walker with the 20th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.
A wide receiver that Gutekunst could target in the first round, depending on where the Packers are slotted to pick, is Washington’s Rome Odunze.
Working my way through the WR's in this draft class and it's LOADED! Personal favorite- Washington's Rome Odunze. Big, physical, easy mover, crisp route runner, big strike zone, tracks naturally, attacks ball, tackle breaker…I could go on. STUD
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) December 27, 2023
Odunze enters the college football playoff matchup against Texas with 81 receptions for 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns. The most impressive thing regarding Odunze’s season is the fact that he played after suffering a broken rib and a punctured lung. A mere two weeks later Odunze 128 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions against Oregon.
This comes after Odunze enjoyed a breakout campaign the season prior during Kalen DeBoer’s first season as head coach. Odunze finished the season with 75 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns.
Rome Odunze, a former track athlete was No. 57 on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List.
The Washington WR is a name for Packers fans to keep tabs on this fall. Check out the other names Packers fans should get to know from the Freaks List.
https://t.co/Sm2jjqIFD3 pic.twitter.com/yDtm5834FI— Brennen Rupp (@Brennen_Rupp) August 17, 2023
A former track standout, it’s not surprising that Odunze was listed on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks list. From Feldman:
This offseason, Odunze ran a 4.34 40, a 4.19 pro agility shuttle and also did 37.1 inches on the vertical and 10-1 in the broad jump.
Odunze passes the eye test with his size and athleticism. With his strides and long speed, he’s able to win vertically and tracks the ball well downfield. He’s an explosive playmaker that’s hauled in a 30-plus-yard reception in eight games this season.
The Washington wide receiver has a lot of branches on his route tree and keeps defensive backs off balance by varying his route tempo.
When Odunze gets the ball in his hands his quickness and niftiness make him hard to corral, racking up 431 yards after the catch.
165 days until the Packers select Rome Odunze. pic.twitter.com/RYWSXYKQkf
— Brennen Rupp (@Brennen_Rupp) November 13, 2023
The chances of the Packers selecting a wide receiver in the first round are slim. On the other side of the coin, the Packers have five picks in the Top 100 in the upcoming draft, leaving Gutekunst with plenty of ammo to address other areas of the roster.
Gutekunst may view Odunze as the missing link that could unlock the potential in this young offense. From a skill, size and athletic standpoint, Odunze checks all the boxes that the Packers look for in a wide receiver.
