March 27, 2026, 3:17 p.m. CT
The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2026 NFL draft.
A Green Bay Packers special is taking a wide receiver on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Davante Adams, James Jones, Randall Cobb and now Christian Watson are all wide receivers that the Packers have drafted in the second or third round of the draft.
If the Packers opt to draft a wide receiver on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, a potential target is Ted Hurst. The Georgia State wide receiver checks in at No. 32 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A Georgia native, Hurst spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Valdosta State University, where he recorded 60 receptions for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Hurst transferred to Georgia State for the 2024 season and recorded 56 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns. This past season, Hurst recorded 71 receptions for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns.
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” To put it simply, he was the central cog that the passing game was built around in 2025,” Brady Weiler, Georgia State writer for PantherTalk.com, said. “In Hurst’s first season at Georgia State, a lot of the damage he did was on go balls and winning one-on-ones down the field. This past year, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson moved Hurst around everywhere. They lined him up in the slot, started working him into the screen game on the perimeter and basically did everything under the sun to get No. 1 the ball.”
At 6-3, 206 pounds, Hurst certainly passes the eye test. He has straight-line acceleration to win vertically and tilt the field. That 4.42 40-yard dash speed is real.
He makes explosive cuts and catches the ball away from his body without having to throttle down. Hurst is not creative with the ball in his hands, but if he makes the first defender miss, he has the long, explosive strides and runaway speed to rack up yards after the catch. He’s got legit juice to be a big-play threat. He uses his frame to high-point the football and plays with a ‘my ball’ mentality. He wins 50/50 balls with regularity. He showcases outstanding body control to adjust to the ball in flight and uses his frame to shield and secure catches.
“He’s a big play threat who will stretch the field,” Weiler said. “He had 34 catches of 20+ yards the last two seasons, more than any other FBS receiver. Draft watchers caught a glimpse of it with the acrobatic catch he made in the end zone over the top of Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal during Senior Bowl practices.”
It feels like everything Hurst does is sudden. He accelerates smoothly off the line of scrimmage. He bursts out of his breaks to create separation and has good agility for a bigger wide receiver. He’s a three-level threat who will need some polishing.
“This is probably his biggest area for growth potential, especially since it’s a whole different world facing off against NFL corners every down,” Weiler said. “His speed and athleticism are really good for his size, but you can’t rely on simply beating guys off the line at the next level. It’s going to be about continuing to hone his craft.”
With his frame, he has the ability to create knockback as a blocker and give cornerbacks the business.
Fit with the Packers
A year after taking Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round, the Packers don’t have a pressing need at wide receiver and it be somewhat of a stunner to see them use another Top 100 pick on the position.
However, Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are all entering contract years. The Packers may look to get ahead of a potential shortage of wide receivers a year from now by adding a Top 100 talent to the mix now.
Hurst certainly checks the boxes with his size, athleticism and production. On top of all that, he was at the Senior Bowl and will have a 30 visit with the Packers.
“There’s always a degree of skepticism in draft circles about players coming from outside the power conferences, but he clears the first bar of standing out on tape against lesser competition,” Weiler said. “He attacked the draft process and tested at elite levels. Teams will be impressed when they meet with him off the field as well. I think you’re banking on a guy who’s got the right measurables and the right attitude to do what he’s been doing and keep improving year after year.”
This is a franchise that has a history of drafting wide receivers on Day 2 of the draft when it was already a position of strength.
Brian Gutekunst could go back to Green Bay’s bread and butter by adding Hurst in the third round with an eye on making him a bigger part of the passing game during his second year in the league, with Reed and Wicks potentially on their way out of Green Bay.
After using a pair of Top 100 picks on the position a year ago, drafting a wide receiver early may not be on many bingo cards, but it would not be shocking to see Gutekunst draft a prospect who checks all the boxes.