Flashback to the 2025 draft. Going into that weekend, it was pretty obvious that the Packers were going to come away with some kind of talent infusion at wide receiver. That season had been full of drops, struggles against man coverage, and a general lack of extremely high end talent. The space that should have been filled by Davante Adams as the #1 receiver was vacant, and it showed on the field.
The range of where a receiver could have been taken in that draft was wide-ranging, but as we all know the Packers didn’t wait long. Matthew Golden was the team’s first round selection in a historic occasion (one of the better draft moments for Green Bay in recent memory). I remember being surprised that Golden was still on the board at all in that moment, and the excitement as the team finally pulled the trigger.
The real surprise, however, came two rounds later when another receiver got the call from Green Bay. Savion Williams, the big, shifty gadget man from TCU was next. If Golden’s selection was a celebration, William’s was one of, well, confusion. And I recall my first thought upon hearing that news which was “*wow they really didn’t like what they saw out of the offense last year at all”*.
Maybe that’s true, or maybe Gutekusnt really did just take the best remaining player on their board in the third round. I do find it worth noting how needs-based the Packers’ 2026 draft was, compared to the 2025 result. After ignoring positions like cornerback, pass rusher and nose tackle in the first three rounds of 2025, they hammered those positions this year. Again, maybe that’s just the board doing the talking, but part of me still thinks the team felt extremely let down by the skill positions in 2025.
Fast-forward to now, and half of the 2025 receivers are gone entirely. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion WIcks have landed on the east coast. Jayden Reed has already been extended, and Christian Watson looks to be next in line. Where does that leave the two receivers from the 2025 draft, who struggled to see the field much at all? In pretty damn good shape, actually.
We’ve already heard from offensive coordinator Adam Stenovich on this topic. When he talked to reporters a week ago, he did not hold back on the optimism for Golden’s potential.
“It's going to be a big year for him" he summed up, and every move the Packers have made thus far signal that the team has the utmost confidence in him.
However, the quote from Steno that got a bit less attention was when he talked about Savion WIlliams. "It's gonna be really fun to watch him go out there and play. He's such a fast, physical player. ... I hope we see some great things from him, for sure."
Williams’ first year in the league was an interesting one, for sure. After spending his senior season at TCU as a do-it-all, gadget extraordinaire for the Horned Frogs, he saw heavy usage in the same role with the Packers. Of his ten total targets over the course of his rookie season, seven came behind the line of scrimmage. Add onto that his eleven total rushing attempts, and it’s clear his first season did not come close to utilizing his true potential as an outside receiver, which he absolutely has the size and speed for in the NFL. Also interesting to note that Savion’s main “gadget usage” came when Jayden Reed was out of the lineup, and those plays would have almost assuredly been called for Reed in those situations, instead of forcing Williams into situations that suited his game in college, but not the NFL.
To me, if Romeo Doubs’ being allowed to walk out the door was the organization’s confidence vote in Matthew Golden, the WIcks trade was a similar move for Savion Williams. There’s a huge difference in production potential between being a team’s WR4 and a WR5, especially in a system that rotates players as much as the Packers do.
Allowing Golden and Williams to come up together in the offense is ideal for a number of reasons, most of which is that they occupy different spaces in the offense. Take Golden’s 5’11” 190 lb frame, and contrast it with Willaims at 6’4” 22.
If all you knew about these two players was these graphs, which one would you guess is the one running gadget plays? Surely the one with 4.29 speed right? I digress.
These two players have a massive opportunity to flourish with an appropriate amount of targets going their way, and a higher place in Green Bay’s WR hierarchy.