Packers Make Three Interesting Moves at Wide Receiver at Rookie Camp

The Green Bay Packers made three interesting moves at wide receiver at day one of their rookie camp. The team signed two players who were in camp at tryouts and one of them is the son of a former Packers player. Head coach Matt LaFleur also explained a position change on a player already on the roster.

The Packers Make Three Interesting Moves at Wide Receiver at Rookie Camp, Number One: The Team Signs the Son of a Former Packer

The Packers invited 18 players to rookie camp on a tryout basis and ended up signing two of them. One of them was the son of a former Packers player. GM Brian Gutekunst announced the team would sign Dimitri Stanley, the son of former Packers wideout Walter Stanley, to a contract.

The younger Stanley spent the last two seasons at Iowa State after playing four years at Colorado. In 2023, he caught 15 passes for 139 yards. Apparently, he made an impressive one-handed catch during camp that got the attention of the coaching staff.

“We had one guy who had a one-handed grab out there that was pretty impressive,” LaFleur said. That player was Stanley.

His father, Walter, played with the Packers between 1985 and 1988. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Stanley’s most memorable game with the Packers came in 1986 when he scored three touchdowns in the Packers 44-40 win over the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The highlight was an 83-yard punt return in the final minute that gave the Packers the win.

The younger Stanley stands nearly 5’11” and weighs 188 pounds. He was timed at a 4.52 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Number Two: The Packers Add Another Receiver

The Packers also signed wide receiver Julian Hicks to a new deal. Hicks played his college ball at Albany and has the size and athleticism the Packers crave. He stands 6’2” and 202 pounds and had a relative athletic score of 9.18.

Before playing at Albany, Hicks also played college ball at Central Michigan and Akron. In his first season at Albany, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first game. In his two seasons at Albany, he caught 74 passes for 1,169 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Packers like having wide receivers with size which gives Hicks a chance to fill that role in training camp.

In addition to the two receivers, the Packers signed guard Lecitus Smith. Smith was a 6^th round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He played in 10 games for the Cards in 2022 and started two of them. The 6’3”, 315 pound out of Virginia Tech spent the 2023 season on the practice squads of the Texans and Eagles but did not appear in a regular season game.

The Packers Make Three Interesting Moves at Wide Receiver at Rookie Camp, Number Three: The Packers Move a QB to a New Position

The Packers also announced they were making a position change for former third-string quarterback Alex McGough. After the team drafted Michael Pratt in the seventh round of this year’s draft, the odds of McGough making the team at quarterback became slim. The Packers usually keep two signal callers on the active roster and the backup quarterback will now be a battle between Pratt and last year’s fifth-round pick, Sean Clifford.

“He’s a really athletic guy,” LaFleur said at last week’s rookie minicamp. “He spent a lot of time on the scout team running receiver routes, and he did such a great job. We feel like he’s such a talented athlete, why not give him a chance there? He’s a smart guy, works his tail off. I think he can contribute on [special teams] as well. We felt like that might be his best chance here.”

While changing positions is never easy, the Packers clearly believe enough in McGough’s athletic ability to give him a chance to make the roster at another position.

He spent the entire 2023 season on the Packers practice squad after a strong preseason. The former USFL MVP remains a long shot to earn a roster spot. Special teams may be his best opportunity.