2022 Rookie Grades by NFL.com Extremely Harsh to Packers

NFL.com is handing out grades to each team's class of rookies. Here is the Packers' grade and our rebuttal.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Feb 21, 2023 9:02 AM EST
Original:
Feb 20, 2023

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Quay Walker? All-rookie linebacker. Christian Watson? Led all rookie receivers with nine touchdowns despite missing the bulk of the first half of the season. Romeo Doubs, Zach Tom and Kingsley Enagbare? Midround finds. Tariq Carpenter? Late-season weapon on special teams.

Added together, the Green Bay Packers’ 2022 NFL Draft class provided impressive production.

Just not impressive to NFL.com’s Eric Edholm.

Edholm gave the Packers a C-minus for their draft haul. Of the six divisions that have been graded, only two teams have been given a lower grade.

Starting with the first-round picks, Edholm pointed to Walker’s 13 missed tackles and two ejections and Devonte Wyatt’s lack of impact. Walker also made a lot of tackles, so his missed-tackle rate of 10.2 percent ranked 31st out of 60 linebackers who played at least 500 snaps.

“His speed and athleticism did stand out,” Edholm wrote.

Wyatt didn’t produce much but not a lot was asked, either, behind the veteran trio of Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed.

Because the Packers had gone too long without using a premium draft pick on a receiver, a big key was the play of the rookies, Watson in the second round and Doubs in the fourth.

“Are Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs the future 1-2 receiver combination in Green Bay? Maybe,” Edholm wrote. “They combined for 83 catches, 1,036 yards and 10 TDs in 2022, overcoming some early inconsistencies to earn a measure of Aaron Rodgers' trust. Watson showed the ability to take the top off defenses, and Doubs was effective working underneath and between the hashes. Even Samori Toure had some flashes late. Why he often sat in favor of Sammy Watkins is anyone’s guess.”

The play of Tom, the versatile fourth-round pick who never looked out of place in five starts, offset the lost season of fellow lineman Sean Rhyan, who was drafted in the third round.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings were the only teams with lower grades than Green Bay received.

The Raiders, who sent their first- and second-round picks to Green Bay in exchange for Davante Adams, received a D-plus.

The Vikings were given a D after first-round safety Lewis Cine and second-round cornerback Andrew Booth missed most of their rookie seasons due to injuries.

The Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers matched Green Bay with their C-minus grades.

The Detroit Lions were awarded an A-minus.

"When it's all said and done, we might look back at this class as a huge bedrock for a team that appears to be on the right track," Edholm wrote of the Lions.

For what it’s worth, here are our Packers rookie grades from our season-ending series of report cards. (Note: Our grades are based on impact relative to the salary cap and are based on 2022 only; they are not projections.)

First Round: LB Quay Walker

An All-Rookie selection, Quay Walker led the team with 119 tackles. Among all rookies, only Houston safety Jalen Pitre had more tackles than Walker. He stuffed the stats sheet with 1.5 sacks, five tackles for losses, four quarterback hits, seven passes defensed and a team-high three forced fumbles.

What was encouraging was Walker’s big-play production. At Georgia, he had zero forced fumbles and three passes defensed in his career. How could he make so few impact plays despite his elite combination of size and athleticism? Whatever. He did it as a rookie in the NFL.

His coverage seemingly got better by the week. According to SIS, he allowed just 9-of-18 for 43 yards, a paltry 2.4 yards per target. That was 1.2 yards better than any other linebacker who had more than 65 tackles. Among the 106 linebackers who played at least 141 snaps, he ranked 51st in missed-tackle percentage (13 misses; 10.2 percent).

The obvious blemish on his game, which won’t be fixed merely through the cliched second-year jump, is his temper. He was ejected twice – the only player to accomplish that feat since at least 2000. Somehow, he must find that fine line between playing with fire and setting himself and the team ablaze. The ejections impact the grade.

Grade: B-minus.

First Round: DT Devonte Wyatt

Wyatt played sporadically until logging 24 snaps in Week 16, 34 in Week 17 and 32 in Week 18. Of his 16-game total of 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and eight pressures, all the sacks and hits and five of the eight pressures came during the final four weeks.

Had he played enough snaps to make our top-100 lists, Wyatt would have tied for 32nd in pass-rushing productivity and 96th in run-stop percentage, a pair of PFF metrics.

Wyatt was the second defensive linemen off the board in the 2022 draft. He ranked 10th in snaps, 12th in tackles and fourth in pressures. He played 10 or fewer snaps in eight games. Not a lot was asked of him, which explains some of the lackluster numbers, but this is a bottom-line business and not a lot was produced, either.

With Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed set to hit free agency, the Packers might be banking on Wyatt to take a big step forward in Year 2. That will mean playing tougher vs. the run.

Grade: D-plus.

Second Round: WR Christian Watson

Slowed by an early-season hamstring injury, Watson caught 10-of-14 passes for 88 yards during the first nine games of the season. He just couldn’t get on the field and stay on the field.

Then came one of the most ridiculous stretches in NFL history. After dropping two passes in Game 10 against Dallas, he rebounded and scored three touchdowns. He added two scores vs. Tennessee, one during a late rally at Philadelphia and the clinching touchdown run vs. Chicago to give him seven touchdowns in four games.

Nobody can play to that level over a sustained stretch. During the four-game winning streak, Watson failed to reach 50 receiving yards in any of the games. During the finale against Detroit, when the Packers really needed someone to rise to the occasion, Watson caught 5-of-6 passes for 104 yards and added two carries for 12 more yards.

Whether he got the ball or not, he’s so talented than opposing defenses need to keep tabs on him on every play. He’s also a quality blocker, no surprise considering how he was used at North Dakota State.

There are two keys moving forward. One is staying healthy. Watson had knee surgery following the offseason practices and missed time with hamstring, head, ankle and hip injuries. The other is catching the ball. He was guilty of five drops. Of 84 receivers targeted at least 48 times, Watson’s drop rate of 10.9 percent ranked 80th. However, he had 19 catches and zero drops the last five games. And, of note, he caught 9-of-12 contested passes, that 75.0 percent success rate tied for second in that group of 84.

Watson’s rookie season was quite the appetizer. With that breathtaking speed exhibited on long touchdowns vs. the Cowboys, Eagles and Bears, the main course looks delectable.

Grade: B.

Third Round: G Sean Rhyan

The Packers picked Rhyan, a three-year starting left tackle at UCLA, in the third round. Given the draft status, he was a colossal disappointment. Not for a moment did he push for playing time during training camp. Remember, the guys ahead of him on the depth chart were Royce Newman and Jake Hanson.

Rhyan played one snap on special teams before he was suspended for the final six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. That’s about as bad a season as you can imagine.

Grade: F.

Fourth Round: WR Romeo Doubs

With Watson unable to stay in the lineup, it was Doubs who looked like the star rookie. In his first eight games, he had four-plus receptions in five games, five catches of 20-plus yards and three touchdowns.

Then came an ankle injury at Week 9 – a questionable tackle by Detroit’s Kerby Joseph – that sidetracked the rest of his season. After a four-game stint on injured reserve, Doubs caught 11-of-17 passes for 112 yards and zero touchdowns in the final four games. He dropped both targets in the finale vs. Detroit, though neither was an easy opportunity.

Doubs finished with 42 receptions for 425 yards and three scores, the catch count ranking fifth among the rookie class. Of his catches, 31 were within 9 yards of the line of scrimmage – including 11 behind the line. That’s the domain of run-after-catch players. Doubs forced one missed tackle. Moreover, he ranked 71st in contested-catch situations (5-of-15; 33.3 percent) and 77th in drop rate (five drops; 10.6 percent).

It's easy to see Watson developing into a star. It takes a bit more imagination for Doubs. He’s got the skill and demeanor, though, to make it happen.

Grade: C.

Fourth Round: OL Zach Tom

Where would the Packers have been without Tom? He started games at left tackle and left guard and got considerable playing time at right tackle, as well. No matter the position, no matter who he had to block, no matter the location, he was up to the task.

Tom played 489 snaps, making him one of 22 rookie linemen to play 300-plus snaps, regardless of position. Tom gave up one sack and 12 pressures, earning the No. 1 spot in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency among the rookies. He was not penalized.

He’s a bit small to be an offensive tackle and a bit underpowered to be a guard or center. In the long run, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich thought Tom’s best spot would be on the interior. Given an offseason of strength training, he should be ready to challenge for a starting job next summer.

Grade: B-plus.

Fifth Round: OLB Kingsley Enagbare

A productive pass rusher at South Carolina, Enagbare plunged into the fifth round of this year’s draft due in large part to putting up horrendous testing numbers at the Scouting Combine and at pro day.

On the field, though, he looked nothing like that player who flirted with 5.0-second times in the 40-yard dash. Enagbare turned a solid training camp into earning the No. 3 job entering the season. When Rashan Gary went down with his torn ACL, Enagbare moved into the starting lineup.

Was he great? No. Was he an all-rookie type of player? No. But he contributed 31 tackles, including three sacks and five for losses. He was fifth on the team with eight quarterback hits and led the team’s outside linebackers and defensive linemen with three passes defensed. Only one of the sacks came after Gary’s injury.

In our top-100 lists based on key PFF metrics, he was 64th in pass-rushing productivity, 36th in pass-rush win rate and 42nd in run-stop percentage. On run plays, his average tackle came 1.4 yards downfield. That was 11th-best in the league. He added five stuffs, defined as a tackle at or behind the line vs. the run.

Grade: B.

Seventh Round: S Tariq Carpenter

A safety by trade but with the size of a linebacker, could Carpenter earn immediate playing time in a hybrid role as the dime defender? As is typically the case, statements of instant impact are typically hyperbole when it comes to late-round draft picks.

Carpenter was a total nonfactor on defense – he worked with the outside linebackers during at least one late-season practice – but really blossomed into a standout on special teams. He finished sixth on the team with eight tackles on the coverage units. All eight came during the second half of the season, with back-to-back games of two stops vs. Miami and Minnesota. He also did good work as a blocker on punt returns.

Grade: C-plus.

Seventh Round: DT Jonathan Ford

Ford was given a roster spot based on draft status and long-term potential and nothing he did on the practice field or preseason. He was a healthy inactive for all 17 games. Even when veteran Dean Lowry went on injured reserve and missed the final two games, the Packers opted to go short-handed on the line rather than give Ford a chance. This obviously will be a big offseason for Ford to show he's ready to play.

Grade: F.

Seventh Round: OT Rasheed Walker

Walker endured a tough training camp. Injuries kept him off the field and offensive line coach Luke Butkus was Walker’s harshest critic when he did practice. He made the roster on the strength of an excellent preseason finale, then played four snaps on special teams in his lone regular-season appearance. Assuming general manager Brian Gutekunst continues his trend of drafting a lot of linemen, Walker will be fighting for his job next summer.

Grade: Incomplete.

Seventh Round: WR Samori Toure

Toure looked like he could be a second-half-of-the-season factor when he hauled in a 37-yard touchdown at Buffalo in Week 8 and made an acrobatic, tumbling catch during Green Bay’s frantic rally at Detroit in Week 9. But he was thrown just one pass, a 7-yard catch at Chicago, in 51 snaps the rest of the season. Not even the last-season dumping of Sammy Watkins could get the former “Capt. Casual” on the field.

Toure finished the season with five receptions (10 targets) for 82 yards and one touchdown in 112 snaps. A big camp awaits. It is a crowded receiver room with the late-season addition of seventh-round rookie Bo Melton meaning four 2022 draft picks.

Grade: D.