Packers’ Allen Lazard: Can He Perform As A WR1?
In one year, Allen Lazard went from the second wide receiver on the team to the top depth option. Does he have the skill set to perform as the number one receiver for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers or will another player step up and take his promotion?
Allen Lazard joined the league as an undrafted free agent in 2018 after many believed that he’d go drafted. He has good size but many felt that his speed would not transition well into the NFL. Lazard played well in college, he attended Iowa State. The Jacksonville Jaguars ended up signing him in May 2018 and he was added to the practice squad at the start of the 2018 season. It wasn’t until December 18, 2018, when Lazard found his home with the Green Bay Packers.
Packers Wide Receiver: Allen “The Goon” Lazard
Allen Lazard will be entering his fifth year in the league and for the first time in his career, he’ll be the number one wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. Over the years, Lazard has been given different nicknames. Early on, he was given the nickname “The Goon” for his impeccable blocking ability on offense in the passing game as well as in the rushing game. His ability and want to block have been the reason why he’s climbed the depth chart from the bottom to the top.
Two of his other nicknames are the Lizard (Lazard) King and Alien Lizard. There was a spell check issue when Allen Lazard was typed into phones that made it autocorrect to Alien Lizard. Lazard has been a consistent playmaker for the Packers over the last three years. In 2019 and 2020 he had 35 and 33 receptions for 477 and 451 yards. He also added three touchdowns each year. The 2021 season is when he set career highs in receptions, targets, yards, and touchdowns. Between having a career year and his blocking ability, he was the Packers’ first choice for the top receiver after Davante Adams left the team.
Will Lazard Be The Top Wide Receiver For The Packers?
After roster cuts on Tuesday, August 30th, the Packers kept Allen Lazard and six other wide receivers. The top three on the depth chart are Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, and Randall Cobb. All three are experienced veterans in the passing game. The three rookie wide receivers also made the team; Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. At six foot five inches, Lazard has the height and at only 227 pounds, he should be able to stretch the field and win in single coverage.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stated Thursday, August 31 that this year it’ll be a wide receiver by committee approach. With seven wide receivers on the roster after cuts, this means that everyone will have a chance to flash their skill in the upcoming season. Aaron Rodgers called out the rookies late in the camp on their route running, so that’ll be something to watch early in the season. Rodgers has praised Allen Lazard from the start of training camp and he firmly believes that he can excel as the top option. Rodgers has also praised newcomer Sammy Watkins as well.
There’s been a lot of sports bets going in on Allen Lazard being the top wide receiver in the league this year, which would be a massive jump. Even though I put a few dollars on it, it’ll be hard to compete with the elite wide receivers that post 1,000-yard-plus seasons every year. We can only speculate on what will happen this year since we are still one week away from the start of the regular season. Lazard has the skill set and the quarterback to help the Packers win the NFC North again and get to the post-season.
Here are my stat projections for the Packers playmakers this season: https://cheeseheadcheckdown.com/2022/08/17/2022-packers-preview-stats/
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