The Green Bay Packers enter the 2023 season with a very talented but unproven group of wide receivers. But over the history of the franchise, receiver is largely regarded as the most talented and deepest position group. Before 2008, some greats include stars like Don Hutson, Max McGee, Boyd Dowler, James Lofton, and Sterling Sharpe.
But here is a look at the top five Packers receivers since 2008 when Aaron Rodgers took over as the team’s starting quarterback. Players on this list are judged only by what they did from 2008 on so if they had outstanding seasons before that they are not taken into consideration. Feel free to comment and add your opinion.
Best Packers Receiver Number 5: Donald Driver
Donald Driver is the Packers all-time leading receiver, but he had only three or four very productive seasons after 2008.
Driver’s best season during this period came in 2009. He caught 70 passes for 1,061 yards and six touchdowns that season. He provided Rodgers with an experienced and reliable veteran target early in his starting tenure. Driver gave the offense continuity during the change of quarterbacks from Brett Favre to Rodgers.
The Alcorn State alum started off as a seventh-round pick and became a three-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion, and a Packers Hall of Famer.
His work ethic, strong play, on the field results and Cinderella story made him a favorite of Packers fans.
Number 4: Randall Cobb
Randall Cobb spent 10 years in Green Bay during two tenures with the team. His ranking would be higher had he stayed healthier over the course of his career.
The former Kentucky star entered the NFL with a bang, scoring two touchdowns in his first career game including a 108-yard kick return.
Cobb was an elusive inside receiver who often came up with clutch receptions. He made game-winning touchdown passes that won the Packers the NFC North in the last minute of a game in 2013. In 2018, he made another late touchdown that completed a big comeback win over the Bears in Week 1.
His best season came in 2014 when he caught a career-high 91 passes for 1,287 and 12 touchdowns. He made his only Pro Bowl that season and is a certain Packers Hall of Famer after he retires.
Number 3: Greg Jennings
Greg Jennings put together three straight seasons of 1,000 or more yards and two Pro Bowl berths between 2008 and 2011. The Western Michigan alum was an early favorite target for Rodgers and was a big part of the Packers Super Bowl run in 2010.
He made four catches in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers but two of them went for touchdowns. Another picked up a key first down that helped the Pack clinch their ultimate 31-25 win.
Jennings tied a career high with 12 touchdown catches in 2010. He finished his career with one season in Minnesota and two in Miami. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2022.
Best Packers Receiver Number 2: Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson was a big-play threat any time he touched the football. The former Kansas State star had great chemistry with Rodgers and had the size and speed to get open on any play.
Nelson emerged as a real threat in 2010, which was his breakout season and he caught nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XLV.
He enjoyed his only Pro Bowl season in 2014 when catching a career-high 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Nelson earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2016 after an injury cost him all the previous season. He bounced back with 97 catches for 1,257 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdown catches.
He finished his career with the Raiders in 2018 but spent nine productive years in Green Bay and caught 550 passes during his time in Titletown.
Number 1: Davante Adams
Davante Adams took three years to become an elite wide receiver but once he did, he quickly became one of the best in the league. Adams and Rodgers became a nearly unstoppable duo. The chemistry they had in their prime together was even better than the one Nelson and Rodgers shared.
Adams wasn’t extremely fast, but he could get open right off the snap of the ball due to his precise route-running and ability to disguise his intentions.
The Fresno State alum made five straight Pro Bowls and two years of All Pro honors between 2017-2021.
In his final year with the Pack, he set a franchise record with 123 catches for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Packers traded Adams to the Raiders in 2022 and he enjoyed another All-Pro season in Vegas.
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Click here for more great Packers coverage
