The Green Bay Packers still have exclusive negotiating rights with Randall Cobb through Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, but there are plenty of teams waiting in the wings should the receiver and the Packers fail to come to a deal.Per Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cobb's agent, Jimmy Sexton, rejected the Packers' offer of a five-year deal in the $8-$9 million per year range, and the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars have the interest and the cap space to sign him.Once the legal tampering window opens, we'll have a better idea of just how far apart Cobb and Green Bay may be in regards to a dealit's hard to know how much of the information being leaked is coming directly from Cobb's camp in hopes of increasing his market valueand by Tuesday, March 10 at 4 p.m. ET, Cobb will either be on the Packers, or not.But given the reported interest in Cobb by teams willing to open the checkbook for him, there is a chance he won't return to Green Bay in 2015. That could change the free agency and draft landscape for the Packers, who already have significant need at inside linebacker and, depending which of their own free agents they re-sign by Tuesday, nose tackle and cornerback as well.2014 rookie Davante Adams seems likely to slide into the No. 2 receiver position if Cobb doesn't return. Behind him, however, theinexperiencedJeff Janis would compete with Jared Abbrederis, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve, former practice squad player Myles White and Jarrett Boykin, who saw his playing time decrease as the year wore on last season, for the third spot.Even if Green Bay's No. 3 receiver is among that list, none have much experience playing on the inside. But the Packers' offensive system asks that their receivers be able to line up all over the field, and that will help them if Cobb leaves.In fact, in 2013 when Cobb missed 10 games with a fractured fibula, Jordy Nelson ran 52.1 percent of his routes out of the slot, per Pro Football Focus, for 624 yards and three touchdowns.If Cobb leaves, here are three 2015 draft prospects in this year's deep wide receiver class Green Bay could consider to replace him.Devin Smith, Ohio StateOhio State's Devin Smith is currently a second-round projection, No. 8 among this year's wide receivers per CBSSports.com. The 6'0", 196-pound receiver has incredible deep-ball potential; he "tracks the throw over his shoulder and never breaks stride in the chase," per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.Smith averaged 28.2 yards per catch in 2014 and almost requires double coverage.However, going deep isn't all Smith can do, which he demonstrated at the combine, where heran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash. Some had concerns about Smith's intermediate route-running at Ohio State, which, of course, would be an important trait the Packers would look for in a 2015 prospect.But at the combine, Smith surprised, showing a fluidity in his routes."The conventional wisdom in the scouting community was that Smith was a one-trick pony with questionable intermediate route-running. Thus, Smith spent the better part of his combine prep fine-tuning his cuts at EXOS in San Diego," Sports Illustrated'sRobert Klemkowrote.I wanted to work on the slants, the ins, the outs, curls, Smith said, via Klemko. Everybody knows I can go deep. Ive displayed that throughout my whole career. It kind of frustrates me when people say thats all I can do because I know I can run all the other routes."The Buckeyes used Smith on the outside, as well as from the slot, which makes him an even more salivating prospect for Green Bay's offense. The question will be whether he'll be available at No. 62 overall, and if Packers general manager Ted Thompson will be looking for a receiver at that selection."Good luck giving chase to Smith on a crosser or speed-out in the red zone," Zierlein writes. Now imagine him catching those red-zone passes from Aaron Rodgers.Jaelen Strong, Arizona StateWill Arizona State's Jaelen Strong make it out of Round 1' Probably not. Will the Packers select a wide receiver at No. 30 overall'Probably not.But only Thompson and Mike McCarthy know the order of their big board, how much the potential departure of Cobb will impact the offense and the ability of the receivers currently on the roster to help fill the hole.After all, though inside linebacker may be a bigger need for Green Bay than wide receiver, if Strong is available at 30th overall, it would be a tempting value pick for Thompson. In the most recent NFL.com analysts' mock draft, Zierlein projects that Strong will be snatched up by the Baltimore Ravens at No. 26, while Daniel Jeremiah thinks he could go even earlier: at No. 19 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Charles Davis thinks Green Bay would leave Strong on the board to select inside linebacker Stephone Anthony (who they could potentially pick up in Round 2); only Bucky Brooks sees Strong remaining on the board after Round 1.Strong, standing at 6'2" and weighing 217 pounds, has good size for the position. Like Smith, he's also versatile; Zierlein writes that Strong is "comfortable from slot, using varying route tempo for separation," and that Arizona State used him frequently on "shallow crossers, bubble screens and hitches."He was also a top performer in the vertical jump at the combine, at 42.0 inches, which helps him come away with contested catches.There are multiple directions Green Bay could go in Round 1, including inside linebacker (Eric Kendricks), nose tackle (Jordan Phillips), cornerback (P.J. Williams) or even tight end (Maxx Williams). Strong is another name at another position to add to that list; if Cobb walks, he'll be on Thompson's big board.Phillip Dorsett, MiamiMiami's Phillip Dorsett could be the most fitting replacement for Cobb the Packers could find in the draft, and at potentially the perfect spot. The Packers, who interviewed Dorsett at the combine, have "taken a liking" to him, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via WalterFootball.com). At 5'10" and 185 pounds, Dorsett is the same height and just seven pounds lighter than Cobb. He's also a burner; he ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash at the combine of 4.33 seconds.Like Davis, he's also versatile and therefore a perfect fit in Green Bay's offense; Zierlein writes that he "can challenge teams vertically inside or outside and he has home-run potential after the catch as a slot receiver."CBSSports.com ranks Dorsett the No. 13 receiver (a second- or third-round selection) in this class, partially due to his height and partially due to the partial tear of his MCL he suffered in 2013. But he looked healthyand fastin 2014 as well as at the combine. Fifty percent of Dorsett's catches last season were for 25 or more yards; Cobb was third among all NFL receivers in 2014 with 24 catches of 20-plus yards, so that would be an important facet of his play to replace should he depart.Of course, given Cobb's comfort level in Green Bay's system, proven production and chemistry with Aaron Rodgersall milestones rookies must develop into, which can take timeretaining him is the best possible outcome.But if the Packers lose Cobb to free agency, they have some promising draft prospects to consider to strengthen the position ahead of training camp.
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