5 players Green Bay Packers should already be thinking about in 2021 draft
1. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
Tyler Johnson was an underappreciated wide receiver prospect in the 2020 draft class, due mostly to the great depth that existed at the position. So the fact he was ultimately drafted by Tampa Bay in the fifth round is not a comment on his future as a pro, and it’s worth noting the Packers had multiple chances to draft him.
But Bateman is just as good if not better than Johnson, after posting over 1,200 yards (including a Big Ten-leading 20.3 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns last year.
Bateman will enter the 2020 season as the Gophers’ clear No. 1 wide receiver, and the 2021 draft class will naturally not be as deep at the position as this year’s. So another step in his progress as a junior is easy to see coming, and 80-90 catches from fellow 2021 draft prospect Tanner Morgan is not out of the question. Assuming a full season comes to fruition of course.
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Bateman is easy to anoint as a 2021 first-round pick, and it would take a major face plant as Minnesota’s best wide receiver or a significant injury during the (hopefully) coming season to change that. The Packers should have him very high on their early list of 2021 draft targets, if not No. 1 as he is here.