When the Green Bay Packers enter the 2025 NFL Draft, they need help at receiver. The second round has historically been their sweet spot for identifying impact receivers. During a Thursday Zoom call that previews next week’s NFL Scouting Combine and April’s draft, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who had previously smiled at Josh Jacobs’ remarks that the Packers needed a No. 1 receiver, listed four big-play receivers who might be available when the Packers are selected at No. 54 of the second round. “With Trey Harris from Ole Miss, Jayden Higgins from Iowa State, and Jack Bech from TCU, that’s roughly the range where you’re going to see this clump here,” Jeremiah stated. Another Colorado State student, Terry Horton, will be around that range.”
Higgins weighed 217 pounds and stood 6 feet 3 3/4 inches at the Senior Bowl. During his final two seasons, he caught 87 receptions for 1,183 yards (13.6 average) and nine touchdowns in 2024 while playing for Iowa State. According to Pro Football Focus, he caught eight receptions that were thrown 20 yards or more downfield with two drops (2.2 percent). At the Senior Bowl, Bech, who weighed 214 pounds and stood 6 feet 1 1/4, was dominant. After three seasons of mediocre play, he caught 62 catches in 2024 for 1,034 yards (16.7 average) and nine touchdowns. With only one drop (1.6 percent), he grabbed nine passes that were thrown more than 20 yards downfield.
Harris, who declined a Senior Bowl invitation, was listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds by Ole Miss. After three seasons at Louisiana Tech, Harris had 2,015 receiving yards in two seasons with the Rebels. He caught 60 passes for 1,039 yards (17.2 average) and seven touchdowns in just eight games in 2024. He caught nine deep passes with five drops (7.7 percent).
Horton, who missed the second half of the season with a knee injury, was listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds by Colorado State. After two years at Nevada, he caught 71 passes for a conference-high 1,131 yards in 2022 and a conference-high 96 passes for 1,136 yards in 2023.
In five games in 2024, he caught 26 passes for 353 yards and one touchdown. He had three deep catches and one drop (3.8 percent). For a fuller picture, he caught five deep passes with four drops (4.0 percent) in 2023. He also scored punt-return touchdowns in 2023 and 2024.
Those men are all really large. Down the field, all of those guys are capable of making plays. Jeremiah predicted that all of those individuals will do well in the red zone. They will be producing points. I believe that group of wideouts might make some sense. Jeremiah proceeded to make contact with a few slot receivers, including one who was compared to the Packers, while admitting that Jayden Reed occupied this location. “I believe they already have a compact, explosive player in that mix, but if they wanted to add a little more, I think they should look at Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel, who is going to be a showman at the Combine.” He is quite explosive. He
Then Jalen Royals from Utah State, who has a real compact, 210 pounds. Actually kind of looks like Randall Cobb to go back in the old-school there. There’s a good clump of receivers there in that second-round range.”
Noel at 5-foot-9 3/4 almost certainly wouldn’t be a consideration. Royals, though, could be at 5-foot-11 3/8 and 210 pounds. After catching 70 passes for 1,084 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023, he caught 55 passes for 839 yards (15.3 average) and six touchdowns in only seven games in 2024.
Most of his action at Utah State came on the perimeter. He missed the end of the season with a foot injury but had a strong week at the Senior Bowl.
Jeremiah also was asked about Illinois’ Pat Bryant, who he considers a third-round prospect. Bryant caught 54 passes for 984 yards (18.2 average) and 10 touchdowns in 2024. He had 12 deep catches and only one drop (1.8 percent). He measured 6-foot-2 1/8 and 208 pounds at the Senior Bowl.
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