The Green Bay Packers have a crowded receiver room. The team will likely keep six wideouts on the 53-man roster to start the season and they have a lot of candidates to fill those spots. First round pick Matthew Golden and third round pick Savion Williams are locks to make the roster. Jayden Reed led the Packers in catches last year. Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs both played major roles last year. Yet, two other wideouts made a big impression at OTAs. They are free agent addition, Mecole Hardman and Cornelius Johnson who spent last season on the practice squad.

Hardman signed with the Packers over the offseason after spending the last six seasons with the Chiefs and was part of three Super Bowl winning teams. His most productive season as a receiver came in 2021 when he caught 59 passes for 693 yards and two touchdowns. His production has fallen since then. In 2024, he caught just 12 passes for 90 yards.

In addition to being a receiver, Hardman is a talented return specialist. He earned Pro Bowl honors as a return specialist in 2019. At the 2019 scouting combine, Hardman was timed at 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Wednesday, Hardman closed out practice by catching an impressive 74-yard bomb from Jordan Love. Deep plays like that may be more important because Christian Watson will miss at least the first half of the season as he rehabs from knee surgery. Hardman has been noticed at OTAs by his playmaking and highlight reel catches.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said Hardman has done a “Great job” at OTAs. “Obviously the value as a returner has always been there, and he has had some production. And obviously he's made some big plays throughout the course of his career,” LaFleur added. “It’s just nice to have a guy that's played and played in some big-time moments. You always want competition, so it's great to have a guy like that.”

Meanwhile, Cornelius Johnson made a good impression during OTAs as well. The former Michigan star spent time on the Packers practice squad last year. He was a seventh-round pick by the Chargers in 2024. He has good size at 6’3” and 208 pounds and recorded a relative athletic score of 9.46. His 40 time at the combine was 4.44. The Packers signed him to a futures contract after the 2024 season ended.

Johnson was productive at Michigan and was part of their national championship winning team in 2023. That year, he caught 47 passes for 604 yards.

Johnson has made an impact this week at OTAs. He scored two touchdowns on Thursday and grabbed three passes on Wednesday including a 40-yard grab thrown by backup quarterback Malik Willis.

Johnson remains a long shot to make the Packers roster. But he has certainly made a good impression during OTAs, which is the first step for any player trying to make the team after a year on the practice squad.

Meanwhile, Hardman may have a better chance to make the final roster because of his experience and his ability to return kicks and punts. If the Packers want to avoid exposing Keisean Nixon to injury if he is going to be the team’s top cornerback, Hardman gives the team a realistic alternative.

Anything that happens at OTAs has to be taken with a grain of salt. There is no contact and no pads and the scrimmages are not played at full speed. But, as the expression goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression and both Hardman and Johnson made a good first impression this week at OTAs. They still have their work cut out for them once training camp begins late next month.