When the Green Bay Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, they immediately used their some of their picks in that draft to help replace him. They selected Christian Watson in the second round, Romeo Doubs in the fourth, and Samori Toure in the seventh. While Watson and Doubs and solid rookie seasons, Toure did not play very much.

Last offseason not only saw quarterback Aaron Rodgers traded to the New York Jets to pave the way for Jordan Love to take over as the, but it also saw the departures of veteran wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Again, Green Bay used three of their picks in the 2023 NFL Draft on wide receivers, selecting Jayden Reed in the second round, Dontayvion Wicks in the fifth, and Grant DuBose in the seventh.

As a result of these decisions, the Packers trotted out a wide receiver group made up solely of first and second-year players along with Love in his first year as the starting quarterback. Their inexperience led to a bumpy start, but they began to figure it out towards the middle of the season.

Green Bay Packers Wide Receivers Ended Up Being Well-Balanced in 2023

All this to say that the Packers have not had a bonified WR1 since 2021 when Adams played his last season with the Packers. However, several Packers pass catchers emerged as legitimate NFL talents and revealed that they have the potential to grab that role on Green Bay’s roster:

As seen in the chart above, Reed led the Packers in receptions and receiving yards while tying Romeo Doubs for the team lead in touchdown receptions. He actually broke the Packers’ rookie record for receptions that had previously been held by Sterling Sharpe (who should be in the Hall of Fame).

Watson, who had the second-highest total of touchdown receptions on the team, put up decent numbers for a player who was limited to just nine games due to hamstring injuries. The Packers and Watson believe they have figured out why he has been so prone to leg injuries since being drafted and expect him to have a much-improved year.

Wicks has drawn a great deal of attention from fans because of his route running, drawing comparisons to Adams. Some NFL analysts believe that he is a dark horse candidate to become the Packers top wide receiver in 2024.

But Albert Breer believes it will be a different pass catcher who emerges as Green Bay’s next WR1 in 2024.

Albert Breer Believes Romeo Doubs Will Take the Biggest Step Forward for the Green Bay Packers

Earlier this week, Albert Breer, the notable NFL analyst from Sports Illustrated visited Packers training camp. He wrote an article detailing his takeaways from watching practice, and had high praise for Doubs, who be believes may be taking the biggest step forward of all the Packers wide receivers:

“The young receiver group is exciting, and the guy who might be taking the biggest step forward is third-year man Romeo Doubs. His confidence and knowledge of the offense is apparent in how hard he’s running routes, and through the ball. And it’s an example of how a group of young receivers—Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed and Christian Watson—is competing.

“Those guys root for each other, but they all know that there are only so many snaps and touches to go around. Which has led to more competition, with guys such as Bo Melton and Grant DuBose fighting for spots down the depth chart.”

Breer might not be so far off. Already this week, two-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander told reporters that the only wide receiver in the entire NFL that is better than Doubs is Davante Adams. Head coach Matt LaFleur said there is not one pass catcher on the team that puts in more work before, during, and after practice than Doubs.

If one is trying to predict which of the Packers’ many talented wide receivers could emerge as WR1, Doubs might be one’s best bet.