Unpacking Future Packers: No. 61 West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

The NFL Scouting Combine is this week with on-field drills scheduled to start on Thursday with the defensive line and linebackers.

The wide receivers are scheduled to work out on the field on Saturday starting at noon (central time). A player that could put on a show is West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton. The West Virginia wide receiver was No. 68 on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks list this summer.

From Feldman: “He vertical-jumped 40 inches, broad-jumped 10-8; had a 4.02 pro agility time and went 6.68 in the L-drill. In addition, he power-cleaned 365 pounds.”

A three-star recruit with ties to the West Virginia program, Ford-Wheaton finished his career as a Mountaineer with 32 career starts.

After redshirting, Ford-Wheaton scored two touchdowns in 2019. The following season, Ford-Wheaton recorded 27 receptions for 416 yards and three touchdowns. In 2021, Ford-Wheaton recorded 42 receptions for 575 yards and three touchdowns.

This past season Ford-Wheaton recorded 62 receptions for 675 yards and seven touchdowns. 

“Bryce was a legacy kid,” Jed Drenning, the West Virginia football sideline reporter, said. “Genetically he definitely passes the smell test. Two previous generations of his family played at WVU including his grandfather Garrett Ford St. who was a standout running back in the 60s before going on to play for the Denver Broncos.”

Ford-Wheaton has an enticing blend of size (6-3, 222) and speed. He uses his frame and physicality to separate and box out defenders. 

“Bryce’s biggest strength is his size and physicality,” Drenning said. “He was a big-bodied, physical weapon for us and proved to be a nice fit for the version of the Air Raid Graham Harrell deployed this past season in Morgantown. His production came despite an unsettled situation at quarterback for part of the year.”

A large framed target, Ford-Wheaton has a huge catch radius. He does a good job of climbing the ladder and using his long arms to snag the football. He tracks the ball well and has the body control to contort and adjust in flight. He seems more than comfortable making catches in a crowd, in fact, the West Virginia wide receiver seems to thrive hauling in passes with cornerbacks in his hip pocket. According to Pro Football Focus, Ford-Wheaton hauled in 18 contested catches this past season. For his career, the West Virginia wide receiver had 18 drops. 

“He understands leverage and uses that to his advantage in the scoring area,” Drenning said. “His frame and skill set also enabled him to lead the Big 12 with 18 contested catches – the most by a Mountaineer receiver in the PFF era.”

With his strength, he’s able to beat press coverage. The West Virginia wide receiver has good acceleration off the line of scrimmage and long strides to quickly get vertical. With his leaping ability and length, he gives his quarterback a large window. 

Ford-Wheaton wasn’t asked to run a diverse route tree at West Virginia and the amount of contested catches he hauled raises red flags on if he’ll be able to create separation at the next level. 

“Bryce’s hips are more fluid than you might expect from a receiver his size, helping him in the route tree,” Drenning said. “Though there is of course room for growth in this area.”

Ford-Wheaton is physical after the catch and uses his long strides to quickly pick up yards. He has some wiggle and juice after the catch racking up 265 yards after the catch this past season (PFF). 

“His physicality and strength made him tough to bring to the ground after the catch,” Drenning said. “Strength more than shiftiness is what makes him formidable with the ball in his hands.”

Fit with the Packers

Christian Watson has the makings of Green Bay’s new No. 1 wide receiver. When he was healthy, Watson proved to be a dynamic playmaker for the Packers during his rookie season.

Romeo Doubs seems like an ideal No. 3 wide receiver with the upside to develop into the team’s No. 2 target. Samori Toure played limited snaps during his rookie season and likely has a spot on the wide receiver depth chart.

With those three in place, the Packers need to continue to add talent to the room. With his size and athleticism, Ford-Wheaton could be a target for Brian Gutekunst on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

“I could see a general manager recognizing the things Bryce has that can’t be coached (size) and recognizing they would be getting a guy who hasn’t hit his ceiling yet and who could continue to improve and flourish in the right environment,” Drenning said.

With his frame and ability to play above the rim, Ford-Wheaton could help remedy some of the red zone woes that Green Bay’s offense suffered this past season. 

At the very least, Ford-Wheaton could round out the bottom of Green Bay’s wide receiver depth chart. If he’s on the board when the Packers are on the clock late on day three, it will be worth taking a bet on his traits and seeing if he can’t develop into something more than a No. 4 or No. 5 option. 

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Story originally appeared on Packers Wire