Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is seeing his veterans in the wide receiver room “embrace” the addition of two top draft picks at the position to start the offseason workout program.
Veterans such as Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed are helping teach first-rounder Matthew Golden and third-rounder Savion Williams the important details of the position early on in the process.
“I think we have a very, very competitive receiver room. I think it’s as deep as anybody in the league. I love how our guys go out there and compete and push each other,” LaFleur told Kay Adams of “Up and Adams Show.” “It’s been pretty cool to watch the veterans, although there’s a first-rounder coming into the room, a third-rounder coming into the room, just how they’ve embraced those guys and taken them in. They are coaching them up on the field.”
Wide receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey recently shared a moment where Reed was helping teach Golden after a drill. LaFleur caught another teaching moment from Doubs, who talked with Golden about a route during the offseason program.
“We were out there earlier today, and I went over to tell Matthew something about one of his routes, and I was just about to start talking, and Romeo Doubs grabbed him and started talking,” LaFleur said.
LaFleur loved the chance to defer the teaching responsibility to a veteran player at a position where big investments were made.
The Packers are returning Doubs, who has 12 touchdown catches over the last two seasons but is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and Reed, who led the team in receiving each of the last two years. Also returning is Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath, and Christian Watson will eventually return from an ACL injury suffered in January. The Packers are young at receiver but not inexperienced — Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Melton, Heath and Watson have all played a lot of football for LaFleur in recent years.
Helping Golden and Williams along as rookies will help uphold the standard in the receiver room and continue building leadership on the team overall.
“That’s a pretty cool thing. That’s something we’re stressing with our team,” LaFleur said. “It’s important to develop the leadership that is needed that when you get into those tough division games or playoff games you have a player-led team that can get you through those moments.”
Here’s the full video from LaFleur’s appearance on the “Up and Adams Show”:
Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden
Packers third-round pick Savion Williams