The Green Bay Packers are still looking to add to their wide receiver room. If history has taught us anything, the Packers won’t draft a receiver in the first round. It will likely be another year when they address this situation in the third round or later.
However, the Packers can bolster this room with an underrated player late in the draft. Theo Wease Jr. out of Missouri should be available in the sixth or seventh round or as an undrafted free agent.
Wease doesn’t project to be a WR1, but giving Jordan Love more developmental targets with upside should help the offense.
Wease was extremely productive at Missouri. However, teammate Luther Burden III always overshadowed him. Burden is projected to be a first-round pick, and Missouri’s offense centered around him almost entirely.
However, while Burden was the No. 1 receiver in 2023, Wease had more receiving yards than Burden in 2024. Last year, he put up 884 yards with four receiving touchdowns compared to Burden’s 676 yards with six receiving touchdowns.
Though Burden looks like the better wide receiver on paper, the stats tell a different story. Burden is also a much bigger name than Wease. He was a Biletnikof semi-finalist in 2023 and a second-team American, which has strongly influenced his draft stock.
Wease has been overshadowed, which gives the Packers an opportunity to capitalize on a criminally underrated player.
He measures 6’3", 200 lbs., and is much more typical of a vertical receiver, while Burden plays more around the line of scrimmage. Wease is a constant threat downfield and is as much a vertical playmaker as they come.
Though Burden isn’t the fastest receiver, he has excellent acceleration after he gets the ball in his hands.
Wease is also a good route runner. Even in cases where he can’t get great separation, he is still so precise that he manages to get open.
Not getting great separation may hinder him in the NFL, and it’s one of the main knocks against Wease. However, after watching Wease’s film, he often gets open by outworking the defense. Though this may not be ideal, Wease has the effort to break through at the next level.
Wease is also skilled at making tough catches. In 2023, he led the SEC in contested catches, which is no small feat.
Wease is a great college receiver, but will it translate to the NFL? I think so. Scouts often get too caught up in a player’s attributes in favor of a player’s game tape. Though some of Wease’s tangible aspects may not be the most appealing, Wease is a productive football player.
It’s also uncommon to find a wide receiver projected to go this late in the draft with the stats that Wease put up, especially in the SEC. The value is there for any team that wants to take a chance on him.
What exactly can Wease provide to the Packers? He won’t be coming in with WR1 expectations, but Wease proved that he can operate productively as a complement to Burden in college. The same should translate to the NFL.
Wease would be a very nice backup receiver for the offense. He could be a WR4 or 5, but he has the vertical playmaking that is often rare for receivers who find themselves that deep on the depth chart.
That’s as rare an opportunity as it gets, and the Packers need to capitalize on it to improve their wide receiver room.
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