Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Packers interested in massive potential weapon for Jordan Love

Originally posted on NFL Analysis Network
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated 4/13/23

The Green Bay Packers are ready to turn their franchise over to Jordan Love. He is set to become the team’s starting quarterback in 2023 as Aaron Rodgers has made his intentions very clear; he wants to play for the New York Jets. Now, it is just up to the franchises to get a deal done.

This move has been a long time coming in Green Bay. They traded up in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Love in the first round out of Nevada. It was only a matter of time until he would be given a chance to start, and that time is now.

If the Packers want to ensure that Love has as much success as possible in the early going, they need to upgrade the weapons around him. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, second- and fourth-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, are good building blocks at the wide receiver position.

Adding another veteran there would help their development. But the tight end position is arguably the biggest need on the roster. Robert Tonyan departed in free agency, signing with the Chicago Bears. Marcedes Lewis remains a free agent and seems unlikely to return to Green Bay.

That leaves Josiah Deguara as the only option at tight end on the roster. Expect that to be something that changes, potentially during the 2023 NFL Draft. The Packers could conceivably fill that hole with Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame. The standout Fighting Irish tight end was recently hosted for a visit by the Packers.

Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame visiting with the Packers.

6’4” | 265
Career: 161/227 comp | 11.9 YPC | 16 TDs
2022: 67/101 | 12.1 YPC | 9 TDs
5th in YAC (16th in avg. YAC) | 2nd yds/route
4th in run PFF blocking grade https://t.co/73vVKUmsiB pic.twitter.com/6NU1Wiji5h
— Paul Bretl (@Paul_Bretl) April 13, 2023

Mayer would be a perfect fit in Green Bay. He can play either as an in-line tight end or spread out. He is more advanced than most of his peers when it comes to run blocking, which is usually the biggest obstacle that rookies have to overcome in the NFL.

Not only that, but he is a proven playmaker as a pass-catcher. He more than doubled the next-closest player on Notre Dame last season in receptions, yardage and touchdowns as its only true weapon in the passing game.

As the total package at the tight end position, Mayer should be squarely on the Packers’ radar when they come on the clock at No. 15 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Love would certainly appreciate the help as a reliable tight end is a young quarterback’s best friend.

This article first appeared on NFL Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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