Why now's the time for the Green Bay Packers to pick a first-round receiver (or two) - Green Bay Packers Blog- ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s hard to find a mock draft that doesn’t have the Green Bay Packers taking a wide receiver with one of their two first-round draft picks. There are even a few that have general manager Brian Gutekunst doubling up with receiver at picks No. 22 and 28.

It seems everyone believes it’s time for Gutekunst to break from tradition and take a first-round receiver.

“For a while now,” Gutekunst joked.

Gutekunst is right. Before at least his last two drafts, the calls for a first-round receiver were plentiful. There finally might be reason to think it could happen Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN app).

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The NFL is a different game now than it was the last time the Packers took a receiver in the first round. In 2002, when the Packers took Javon Walker at No. 20 overall, rookie receivers didn’t dominate.

“We drafted Javon with the first pick, and I think it was about middle of Year 2 where he just took off and then for about a year and a half there, he was playing about as good as anyone,” Gutekunst said Monday during his annual pre-draft news conference. “So that was kind of the rule of thumb back then: [It] took about a year and a half to really get into where they knew what was going on.

“Hopefully it'll be quicker if we go that route this year.”

He has seen evidence of it all around. Two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson at No. 22 — a few spots ahead of the Packers — and Gutekunst watched him make an immediate impact to the tune of 88 catches, 1,400 yards