The Green Bay Packers are crafting their final 53-man roster for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, and there will officially be a surprise name on it. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Malik Heath from Ole Miss went from a training camp longshot to a real Packers player.

“Packers have informed WR Malik Heath that he made the initial 53-man roster, per source,” according to ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler Tuesday on Twitter. “Undrafted receiver out of Ole Miss had a strong preseason.”

Heath, a Mississippi naïve, is a big target at 6-foot-2 and had a productive college career at Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The WR had 71 catches for 749 yards and eight touchdowns for the Bulldogs. However, after transferring across the state to play for Lane Kiffin, his stats jumped up in 2022. At Ole Miss, Heath had 60 grabs for 971 yards and five touchdowns in just one season.

The Packers signed Heath as a priority free agent after the wideout wasn’t drafted in the seven rounds of the NFL draft, and the pass-catcher showed out in the preseason, catching 12 balls for 146 yards in three games.

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Now, he joins an incredibly young and inexperienced WR group catching passes from quarterback Jordan Love.

On the Packers' 53-man roster heading into Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, the Packers wideouts are rookies Malik Heath, second-round pick Jaden Reed, and fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks, along with 2022 draft picks Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure.

This is quite a risk by the Packers as they try to replace Aaron Rodgers with Jordan Love. With no veteran WRs on the team, there will be more pressure on the QB to lead the offense than in most situations with an inexperienced quarterback.