Former Penn State receiver faces uphill battle in crowded Green Bay wide receiver room

Last offseason, Penn State brought in Julian Fleming from Ohio State to replace KeAndre Lambert-Smith as the No. 1 wide receiver in Happy Valley. Instead, Fleming struggled to establish himself as a reliable target for quarterback Drew Allar and slid down the depth chart in a talent-deficient wide receiver room.

Now, Fleming will have a serious uphill battle in the NFL after joining the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent on Saturday at the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft.

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) April 27, 2025

Julian Fleming joins Green Bay Packers as UDFA

Before selecting Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden on Thursday night in front of their home crowd in Green Bay, the Packers had not selected a first-round wide receiver since 2002. That 23-year drought was the longest in the NFL, and the lack of investment in that position was one of the grievances that future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers harboured on his way out of town three years ago.

Now, after years of skimping on highly-touted playmakers, the franchise and general manager Brian Gutenkunst went all-in for Rodgers’ replacement Jordan Love, drafting two wide receivers in the first three rounds of this year’s draft, Golden and TCU’s Savion Williams. So, an already crowded wide receiver room will be nearly impossible to navigate this offseason, but Fleming could have a particular skill set to intrigue Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.

When Julian Fleming arrived at Ohio State as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player out of the state of Pennsylvania in the 2020 high school class, he was expected to eventually become another Buckeye first-round pick at the position. However, Fleming was overshadowed by Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka, all first-rounders, and transferred to Penn State after four years in Columbus.

While he never put up big numbers, even in Happy Valley, Fleming discovered a niche in Columbus as a talented run blocker, which likely put the 6-foot-2, 206-pound receiver on Green Bay’s radar.

Wide receivers have become increasingly important as run blockers as the outside zone run game and condensed formations of the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree, of which LaFleur is one of the most successful branches, proliferate through the league. His propensity as a blocker is one of the first things that got eventual Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp onto the field for McVay in Los Angeles.

As defenses have responded to a perimeter rushing attack with lighter linebackers who can close sideline-to-sideline, coaches like McVay and LaFleur have countered with a more diverse run game, leaning back into gap and power rushing schemes to bulldoze undersized second-level defenders.

Last season, the Packers had about a 60/40 split in favor of zone runs over gap runs, and Josh Jacobs is more of a between-the-tackles runner than his predecessor, Aaron Jones was. So, Fleming will need to bring more to the table than just run blocking to find his way onto the field in Green Bay, but with a head coach who loves to run the football, it’s not a bad place to start.

Related Posts

Dolрhіnѕ’ Neweѕt $17 Mіllіon Pіece Predіcted Aѕ Teаm’ѕ Bіggeѕt ‘Buѕt’

After making the biggest trade of the NFL offseason, new Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is predicted to be team’s biggest ‘bust’.

BREAKING: Jordаn Love went to the flooded аreаѕ іn Texаѕ to gіve out free meаlѕ to the рeoрle there. Hіѕ аctіonѕ touched mаny рeoрle. Beѕіdeѕ gіvіng out meаlѕ, he аlѕo….

In the aftermath of the devastating floods that tore through parts of Texas, countless families have been left without homes, food, or clean water.But in the

REPORT: Cowboys 1st-round pick sets lofty Super Bowl goal for NFL career

The Dallas Cowboys are placing immense trust in rookie offensive guard Tyler Booker, the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as he steps into a…

GRATITUDE: The Pіttѕburgh Steelerѕ hаve аррroved $2.5 mіllіon to buіld а ѕtаtue of legend Terry Brаdѕhаw outѕіde Acrіѕure Stаdіum іn recognіtіon of hіѕ tremendouѕ contrіbutіonѕ durіng hіѕ tіme wіth the Pіttѕburgh Steelerѕ…

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Steelers have spoken — and history is being carved in bronze.

List Suggests Chiefs Could Have Hands Full With ‘Firepower’ in AFC West

The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC West for years and while that could continue in 2025, the division should be competitive.

Former Texas RB and Cowboys’ 5th-round pick making waves in the offseason

In 2024, Jaydon Blue was an important piece of Steve Sarkisian’s offense alongside Quintrevion Wisner in the Texas backfield. Blue was garnering hype as an incr