Every offseason, all across the NFL, teams quickly hand their first-round draft pick a starting job. It can be announced before Training Camp even begins, or in some cases, it might already be given the second the draft selection is made. Some say that it shows a commitment to the investment. It shows that they are so confident that the player they chose will make an impact that they're immediately slotting them in the starting position. This is rarely the case with the Green Bay Packers.
No matter who the Packers drafted in the first round of the latest draft, that pick is always slotted towards the middle or bottom half of the depth chart to start Training Camp. Of course, that leads those who want to criticize the pick to label them a bust before they even touch the field, but we won't dive further into that nonsense. The reason for this rarely has to do with the player's skillset or how the team views their progress, it tends to align with an undocumented franchise tradition. For at least the last two decades, under head coaches Mike McCarthy and Matt LaFleur, the Packers have had a tradition of making players earn their starting job regardless of their draft pedigree.
Why do this? Well, the answer is simple: they need to learn to stay humble no matter what. They need to learn that they are always fighting for the starting job every week. Though they may have a high draft pick invested in them, and they may make more money than some of their peers, they're not invincible, they can be knocked off their pedestal. It's a bit of a "Welcome to the NFL, you're not top of the food chain anymore until you show us you deserve to be." There's a lot of positivity that can come from that approach, and of course, some negativity. Using that philosophy, the team can see what a player is made of right out of the gate. How do they handle not being the star like they may have been in college? How do they respond on the field? Do they go out and earn that position? Or do they take offense at being lower on the depth chart and get vocal, or let it affect their performance? It gets the best or worst out of those rookies right out of the gate.
Of course, by continuing with this strategy, the Packers also avoid stepping on the toes of their veterans. Veteran players who earned their spot on the roster already are assured that they will not be leapfrogged. They will have a chance to prove they still deserve to be there. Or at least, that is the intention. Recently, it seems as though Jayden Reed's camp requires a little more reassurance.
Jayden Reed to Remain the Top Receiver
As an offensive skill position player, rarely does the news of your team drafting a player of your same position in the first few rounds excite you. The question of whether or not you will have an equal opportunity to succeed definitely pops into your head. Even as a wide receiver, where 3-5 players of your position can be on the field at once, you develop concerns of whether or not you will receive your fair share of targets. Late Monday, news broke that there are concerns of this variety in Jayden Reed's camp. It was revealed by Adam Schefter that Packers GM Brian Gutekunst met with Jayden Reed's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to clarify the receiver's status in Green Bay after drafting Matthew Golden and Savion Williams. Per Schefter, the team said it will not affect Reed's status as its top receiver.
Many knee-jerk reactions are painting this out to be Jayden Reed wanting the team to commit to him being on top and no one else. But, it may be the opposite. Anyone close to the football world in the last few decades is well aware of Drew Rosenhaus's ability to cause a stir. This may be Brian Gutekunst getting ahead of tension to reassure Reed and his representation that the team still values him as their top receiver, and the drafting of these two new receivers does not change that. It's also worth noting that Jayden Reed just recently switched agents to Rosenhaus, and this could very well be Rosenhaus flexing his muscles for his new client to show off his influence and the fact that he can easily make waves. Reed is heading into his third season and will be looking to secure a second contract soon. Rosenhaus could be looking to just put a little jab in the side of the Packers that their draft better not change things.
Either way, such action shouldn't be needed. Rosenhaus has been around the block enough to know how the Packers work. His client will have plenty of opportunity to show that he deserves to be the first option over Matthew Golden or Savion Williams. Draft investment doesn't elevate a player; their performance does. If Jayden Reed outplays Matthew Golden or Savion Williams in training camp, then he will maintain his position and won't have to worry about his contract next year; he will be a lock to earn a massive payday.