GREEN BAY - J'Mon Moore needed this night.
Yes, the Packers' rookie receiver made of the play of Saturday's Family Night practice when Moore pulled down a leaping touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone from quarterback Brett Hundley, but it was more than one play.
For the fourth-round pick out of Missouri, this was his first time playing under the lights at Lambeau Field. It was the first time Moore felt the energy of 64,702 fans just waiting for a reason to erupt in jubilation.
"I've never been in that stadium. I've never played in that stadium and never been underneath those lights," Moore said. "Just being able to get a feel for it. Now, I know what to expect and take the next step forward."
For his part, Moore did make the biggest catch of the 1-hour, 31-minute practice during a pass-under-pressure period. Running a fade route, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver perfectly positioned himself under the pass from Hundley in single coverage and kept both feet in-bounds to complete the catch.
Moore said it's a play he's frequently repped during the first week of camp and was grateful Hundley had the confidence to throw his direction in a one-on-one situation.
"I mean that's what they want to see," Moore said. "They expect big things from their Packers, so I'm glad I could go out there and do that for them, show them something I could do."
The competition behind starting receivers Davante Adams and Randall Cobb has been tight through the first week of camp. With Cobb (ankle) and Trevor Davis (hamstring) sitting out Saturday night, it gave all of the Packers' young receivers a chance to get extra work under the lights of Lambeau.
Practice-squad holdover Jake Kumerow continued to impress in one-on-one drills against defensive backs, while rookie draft picks Equanimeous St. Brown and Marquez Valdes-Scantling also had their moments in team periods.
"I like the way really the whole group handled it," Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. "When you roll those guys in and out as fast as we did, and hit all the different situations, there wasn't really any blink or any high anxiety in their performance."
One thing was certain coming out of Family Night – Moore and the other young receivers are ready for the preseason to begin next Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans.
"I'm going to grind, put my head down and keep pushing," Moore said. "We'll see what happens. We have the preseason games coming up. We'll keep it rolling."
Extra work: Left tackle David Bakhtiari exited Saturday night's practice with an ankle injury, freeing a few unexpected reps for third-year tackle Kyle Murphy.
Murphy, who had been working at right tackle with the starters, shifted over the to left side after Bakhtiari's injury and finished there during the Packers' final two-minute period.
Murphy made two spot starts at left tackle for Bakhtiari last season and was settling in prior to suffering a season-ending foot injury. He returned in time for the offseason program and has been working at both tackle spots throughout the spring and summer.
"It's always priceless getting those game reps, especially with (Aaron Rodgers) back there," said Murphy, a former sixth-round pick in 2016. "Not that you should approach a game differently than you do just a normal practice or whatever, but it's different under the lights on the big stage against good competition. So I think that was huge for my growth and development as a player. I feel better this year, more comfortable because of that."
Right tackle Bryan Bulaga returned to practice Friday before taking a planned rest day during Family Night. Murphy, Jason Spriggs and veteran Byron Bell have all rotated at the two tackle positions throughout the first week of camp.
Meanwhile, the Packers are hoping for the best for Bakhtiari.
"That's my boy. I don't want to see him get hurt, banged up or anything," left guard Lane Taylor said. "Hope he's OK. I feel like it'll be all right. So we'll see (Sunday)."
What a night: Marcedes Lewis has seen a lot during his 12-year NFL career, but still never has experienced anything quite like Family Night.
After all, it's not every day more than 64,000 file into a stadium to watch practice.
"Man, that was something different. I don't know what this is," said Lewis, smiling. "I've never been a part of anything like this; a stadium packed like this just for a practice. I can't wait until the season starts."
Quarterback DeShone Kizer, in his first season in Green Bay, likened the experience to his time at the University of Notre Dame.
"The football tradition here is very similar to Notre Dame's in the sense that there's 70,000 people who are there to watch the game," Kizer said. "They're not there for jumping in pools or whatever these different stadiums have. They're there to watch football. They're there to support their Packers."
Kizer managed to even do his first Lambeau Leap after scrambling into the end zone during a late team period.
"Aaron told all the quarterbacks, 'If you've got a chance, you've got to do it,'" Kizer said. "I was probably stopped at the 8-yard line, but I'm going to pretend as if I broke that tackle. When I got there … everybody was shocked that I was even coming up there, so I kind of half-leapt up there, enjoyed it for a second and got back for the next play."
Nine sit: In addition to Bulaga, Cobb and Davis, running backs Aaron Jones (hamstring) and Devante Mays (hamstring), defensive tackle Mike Daniels (quad), safety Kentrell Brice (ankle), and linebackers C.J. Johnson (hamstring) and Jake Ryan (knee).
Fullback Joe Kerridge (shoulder) and linebacker Blake Martinez returned. Martinez missed Friday's practice after welcoming the birth of his daughter.
