The slender, explosive Felton visited the Packers earlier this month.
The Packers might not necessarily need a wide receiver, but they’re sure sending buying signals.
And that, of course, makes a lot of sense. Even if he comes back this year, Christian Watson likely won’t be on the field until November at the very earliest. Beyond that, decisions are bearing down concerning Romeo Doubs after this season and Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks after next. Getting another player in the pipeline, maybe more than one, would be a great thing to do, especially if he has some game-breaking speed.
Tai Felton has game-breaking speed. If nothing else is true about him, Felton can run.
The Packers invited Felton in for one of their top 30 visits on April 14, potentially as a part of their search for wide receiver talent. A two-year starter for the Maryland Terrapins, Felton recorded a blistering 4.37-second 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Combine, including a great 10-yard split of 1.54 seconds. That speed didn’t necessarily show up in his stats — he averaged just 11.7 yards per catch his final college season — but scheme issues and fit can account for a lot of production-related questions, so that may not be a major concern.
His hands, however, may be a bit of a concern. Though his speed shouldn’t be in doubt, the numbers on his catching ability paint an uncertain picture. Pro Football Focus blamed Felton for eight drops in 2024, all of which happened between Weeks 7 and 13 of last season. That may be an outlier (he dropped just four passes combined in 2022 and 2023), but it’s worth watching.
Felton’s size may also be a concern. He’s tall enough at 6-foot-1 and change, but he weighed just 183 pounds. That would make him four pounds lighter than any other wide receiver who took a snap for the Packers last year, including the diminutive Jayden Reed. His size doesn’t preclude Felton from being the sort of blocker Matt LaFleur wants his wide receivers to be. Willingness is often half the battle in that area, and Felton at least appears to be willing to give it a go in the ground game. But there has to be some reason his PFF run blocking grade declined every year, corresponding perfectly to his growing role in the Maryland offense. His relative size might be as good a reason as any.
But that’s enough about the bad. There’s plenty to like about Felton. In addition to his speed, Felton has some interesting inside/outside versatility. Though he was primarily an outside receiver, he played more than 300 snaps in the slot across his final two college seasons, including 204 in 2024.
In addition, he’s an experienced special teams player, but not as a returner, which you might expect for someone with his speed. No, Felton was a dedicated member of the Maryland kickoff and punt coverage squads, logging a dozen career special teams tackles.
That’s an intriguing skill set for a day three prospect with his kind of speed. Currently number 136 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, Felton profiles as a fourth or fifth round pick, a great spot for a potential double-dip at receiver if the Packers add a pass catcher early. They may have invited him in just as a medical check (he tore an ACL as a high school player in 2019), but if the Packers are doing due diligence, you have to at least think there’s some interest. He was a Senior Bowl participant, after all, and in addition to pre-draft visits, that’s another great area to keep an eye on if you’re putting together a Packers-specific draft watch list.