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GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Brian Gutekunst picked defensive players one after another after another in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, it was worth wondering if the Green Bay Packers general manager might have a Dez Bryant signing up his sleeve. That all changed on Day 3. Gutekunst added three receivers on Saturday, and none of them was named Dez. Any feeling that the first-year GM might make a bold move and sign the former Cowboys playmaker seemingly disappeared within a matter of hours, when he drafted Missouri receiver J’Mon Moore in the fourth round (No. 133 overall), South Florida receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the fifth (No. 174) and Notre Dame’s Equanimeous St. Brown in the sixth (No. 207). The chances of any one of those three making a Bryant-like impact in 2018 is slim. It’s rare enough for rookie receivers to excel, let alone ones picked on the final day of the draft. But the fact that Gutekunst went all-in with draft picks at that spot suggests he had no plans to sign the 29-year-old Bryant, who is only one year removed from his last Pro Bowl but three years from his last 1,000-yard season. Bryant might have jumped to No. 2 on the Packers’ depth chart at receiver behind Davante Adams. But the Packers cut one $10 million aging receiver (Jordy Nelson), so why would they sign another? At this point, the depth chart looks like this: Adams, Randall Cobb, Geronimo Allison, Trevor Davis, Michael Clark, plus last year’s practice-squad members Colby Pearson, Jake Kumerow and DeAngelo Yancy. Training camp and the preseason games will show Mike McCarthy whether any of the three additions can even make the team let alone get on the field for meaningful snaps, but the 13th-year head coach might be more eager to see his new receivers on the field during this week’s rookie camp than any of the other eight players Gutekunst drafted. “I think we had a good [draft] board with wide receivers this year,” Gutekunst said. “Some guys lasted up there a lot longer than we thought. We thought the ability to add some size and speed to our group was something we wanted to do. I think we did that.” When it comes to the receivers, here are the numbers that matter: Size
6-foot-2 5/8 (Moore) 6-4 (Valdes-Scantling) 6-4 3/4 (St. Brown)
Only one receiver on the Packers’ roster stands taller than Valdes-Scantling and St. Brown, and it’s the 6-6 Clark (who played in just two games and caught four passes last season). The only other returning receiver taller than 6-3 is Kumerow (6-4), a late-season addition to the practice squad in 2017. “I think you’re always looking for bigger targets,” McCarthy said. “It makes sense doesn’t it? I mean, bigger catching radius, completion percentage. But I think it’s just really a reflection about how we felt about them as players. So, yes, I think any quarterback would prefer to throw to a bigger target, no disrespect to the smaller targets. But I’ve always preferred bigger receivers. Speed (40-yard dash time)
4.6 (Moore) 4.37 (Valdes-Scantling) 4.48 (St. Brown)
The Packers felt Moore’s slow-ish 40 time was not indicative of his play speed. “Because he plays fast on tape,” director of college scouting Jon-Eric Sullivan said. “The 40 times are great and obviously we all covet speed, but when you watch him play the game on film, there’s never a time when you say, ‘Well, this guy looks like he can’t run.’ It’s actually quite the opposite.” St. Brown might be the biggest project among the three but also might have the most upside. His father, John, was a two-time former Mr. Universe who has been so active in the football careers of his three sons that Sports Illustrated called them “the Ball family of football.” HBO aired a story titled “The St. Brown Master Plan” on its "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" show. St. Brown's two younger brothers also play receiver – Osiris at Stanford and Amon-Ra is committed to USC. St. Brown left Notre Dame after his true junior season – a year that paled in comparison to the production he had as a sophomore with current Packers backup DeShone Kizer as his quarterback. Many felt St. Brown should have played another year of college football. Gutekunst said he and his scouts did extensive background work on St. Brown and determined there would be no LaVar Ball-like issues. “We had no reservations about bringing Equanimeous St. Brown to our team,” Gutekunst said. “We're pretty excited about that size and speed.” One scout told ESPN after the draft that he didn’t like St. Brown but thought Moore and Valdes-Scantling were both solid value picks. The scout loved Valdes-Scantling’s speed. Last spring, the Packers drafted three Day 3 running backs – Jamaal Williams (fourth round), Aaron Jones (fifth) and Devante Mays (seventh). This year, they did the same with receivers. “We didn’t come into the draft last year and say, ‘Hey, we’re drafting three running backs,’” McCarthy said. “And we didn’t come into this draft and say, ‘Hey, we’re drafting three receivers.’ I think it’s more of a reflection of how we felt about each prospect, where they were on the board and everything that was going on around it. “Everybody has value, everybody has their own boards … Then you have your needs and how they fit. Then you work through that, and I thought Brian did a heck of a job sticking to his board.”
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