Tai Felton Would Be A Sneaky Late-Round Get For the Packers

Expectations are running high that the Green Bay Packers will select a wide receiver at some point in the draft. The question is: When?

If they wait to get a wide receiver later in the draft, Maryland's Tai Felton would be a sneaky get.

Few receivers taken in Round 5 or later produce the numbers Felton did in a Power 5 conference. In 2024, Felton racked up 96 receptions for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns. To put a cherry on top, Felton ran a 4.37 40-yard dash. Still, he's projected to be a Day 3 pick, with many analysts seeing him being plucked in the fifth round.

So, why the late-round grade for someone with blazing speed who always showed up and showed out in the Big Ten?

Some analysts suggest his gaudy numbers in 2024 were strictly a result of target volume and not because Maryland felt they needed to get the ball in Felton's hands. Others, like Bleacher Report, highlight his struggles with press coverage and his inability to use his strength to overcome getting bumped off his spot.

As the draft carries on, there's always a reason, or reasons, for someone to be taken in the second half instead of the first. That doesn't mean you can't find gems.

Romeo Doubs was a fourth-round pick for the Packers at wide receiver, and that worked out pretty well. Rasheed Walker is your starting left tackle, and he was a seventh-rounder.

The point is, the good can outweigh the not-so-good with some of these prospects who go after Day 2.

Felton stands out and fits the Packers prototype in a couple of ways. At 6'1”, he is a good size, and not all receivers flourish with such a massive workload of targets in college. He took the gig without hesitation and was Maryland's biggest weapon in 2024. His size blended with his speed makes for a fascinating late-round get.

Per Bleacher Report, the footwork is the key for Felton.

For Green Bay's purposes, may we interest you in a 9.60 relative athletic score?

Given Felton's strengths, the obvious areas light up in green on the chart. The 40-yard time, 10- and 20-yard splits, and vertical and broad jumps all lean heavily in Felton's favor. It's well known how much the Packers tend to take players with high RAS scores. Felton checks that box and then some.

Many are clamoring for general manager Brian Gutekunst to take a wide receiver in the first round. If Tetairoa McMillan or Matthew Golden make it to pick No. 23, the temptation might be too great to pass up.

Running back Josh Jacobs made waves this offseason when he mentioned on multiple platforms that he believed the team needed a true alpha, No. 1 wide receiver. It seemed to ruffle some feathers with current Packers wide receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed.

Drafting a wide receiver in Round 1 would indicate that Gutekunst and Co. believe they don't have one. By drafting one that early, they'd set themselves up to hopefully hit the jackpot.

Would drafting a wide receiver that early fracture some of the feelings in the wide receiver room? It shouldn't, but Jacobs’ comments didn't play well for some.

Green Bay shouldn't factor that into whoever they select. However, if the Packers wait to take a wide receiver later on, the options are still intriguing.

Felton has question marks, no doubt about it. He's also a player with really solid speed, ideal height for the position, a high RAS score, and tremendously productive in the Big Ten.

Waiting to take a receiver later on, like a Felton would signal the belief, or perhaps hope, that Gutekunst has in someone in the building who has what it takes to be a true WR1. There wouldn't be pressure on Felton to have a massive, immediate impact on the offense. Instead, he'd be able to have the current dudes take him under their wing and show him the ropes while he works on fine-tuning some of those weaknesses.

He would be a sneaky get later in the draft for Green Bay.