Grading Packers’ Needs with NFL Draft’s Talent

Here’s a position-by-position look at where the draft class delivers to fit Green Bay’s needs and where it falls short.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 17, 2023 2:18 PM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the Green Bay Packers transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love, an absolutely massive NFL Draft awaits general manager Brian Gutekunst.

With limited resources to fill needs via free agency, there are some large holes in the starting lineup and throughout the roster. The depth is nonexistent at tight end, receiver and on the defensive line. Injuries have demonstrated the lack of credible depth at outside linebacker and offensive tackle, as well. Safety is weak. There is no backup quarterback. There’s a forward-thinking need at running back, too. Shoot, they probably need to draft a kicker.

Nonetheless, general manager Brian Gutekunst likes where the team is situated.

“We have 10 picks right now, so I think we have a chance to really help our football team,” he said at the NFL meetings last month. “It’s interesting. The college world is changing a little bit. A lot of these guys stayed in [college] that might have come out in previous years. But there are certain positions that have really good depth that we haven’t seen for a while. I think that’s good, and they kind of line up with our needs a little bit.”

Below is a position-by-position look at the NFL Draft. First, it’s the letter grade given to the talent pool at the position by Pro Football Focus. Next, it’s the letter grade given to the Packers’ draft need at that position given by Packer Central, with an “A” meaning a major immediate need and an “F” meaning no need at all. The positions are listed in order of need.

Tight end

Depth of draft class: A-plus

Because relatively few programs actually use a tight end in today’s spread-offense world, few quality tight ends are produced annually. That makes this year’s strong class, in which six might go in the first two rounds, a random event. “I think it’s a little bit of an outlier,” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine.

Packers need: A-plus

The unit’s best receiving threat, Robert Tonyan, signed with the Bears. The unit’s best blocker, Marcedes Lewis, remains unsigned. Only two players on the roster have played in an NFL game. In their three seasons, Josiah Deguara, who really is more of a fullback than a traditional tight end, has 39 receptions and Tyler Davis has eight.

Depth meets with need: A-plus

Will Gutekunst get a tight end he loves in the first round, or will he bet that someone he likes will be available in the second or third round? Look for the Packers to draft two, regardless of Lewis’ future.

Receiver

Depth of draft class: B-plus

We’ll disagree a bit with PFF’s grade. Not that PFF is wrong. It’s that the Packers will discard several top prospects because they’re too short, including Boston College’s Zay Flowers, North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Houston’s Tank Dell and Cincinnati’s Tyler Scott. Nonetheless, instant contributors should be on the board in Day 3.

Packers need: A

The Packers have only five receivers under contract, and only three have caught a pass in a regular-season game. Green Bay will come out of draft weekend with 10 receivers, give or take, so there’s a lot of work to do between the draft and college free agency.

Depth meets with need: B

That the class lacks some superstars shouldn’t trouble the Packers given their first-round history of picking any position other than receiver. However, it should be noted too many of the top receivers dropped too many passes. Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman and Ole Miss’ Jonathan Mingo fit the big-receiver, big-hands preference.

Defensive line

Depth of draft class: C-plus

You’d feel better about the state of this group if Pitt’s Calijah Kancey and Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore weren’t 280 pounds. There just aren’t many big guys who can stop the run and impact the quarterback.

Packers need: A

The Packers have only five players under contract. Only three of them have played in a game and only two of them have started a game. A run-stopper seems in order with a pick in the first three or four rounds.

Depth meets with need: D

Of The Athletic’s top 20 defensive linemen, only nine tip the scales at 300 pounds. Green Bay’s run defense has been so bad for so long that it seems like a tough guy should be the pick.

Edge (aka outside linebacker)

Depth of draft class: A

This is a superb group with stars at the top and plenty of depth to filter through the third or even fourth round. Green Bay’s preference, as illustrated by Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith, has been size and physicality. Of The Athletic’s top 20 edge defenders, 10 weigh at least 260 pounds.

Packers need: B-plus

Green Bay’s lack of depth became a huge problem following Gary’s torn ACL. Gary may or may not be back for Week 1. Regardless, given the nature of that injury, there’s a chance he’s not back to full throttle until 2024. So, the Packers need to add to the trio of Smith, Gary and Kingsley Enagbare, who had a decent rookie year.

Depth meets with need: A

It’s a match made in heaven. Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness and Clemson’s Myles Murphy are potential first-round picks. Will McDonald and Keion White, who had predraft visits, could be options in the second round. Imagine being 250-plus pounds with speed in the 4.4s and being Day 3 options. That’s Oregon’s D.J. Johnson and Georgia’s Robert Beal.

Safety

Depth of draft class: D-plus

This is easily the worst position group of the draft. The No. 1 player is Brian Branch, a high-quality prospect, to be sure, but he didn’t even play safety at Alabama.

Packers need: B-plus

The Packers have a lot of safeties. Are any of them good enough to be starting? The Packers desperately need Darnell Savage to round back into form.

Depth meets with need: F

Not at all. It didn’t help that Penn State’s Ji’Ayir Brown, Florida State’s Jammie Robinson and Georgia’s Christopher Smith didn’t run very well. Heck, even Branch ran his 40 in 4.58 seconds.

Offensive tackle

Depth of draft class: B

This is a top-heavy group. If you really need an offensive tackle to start right away, you better get him in the first round. After that, there’s a considerable amount of wishing, hoping and projecting.

Packers need: B

The Packers are fine for 2023 with David Bakhtiari at left tackle (so long as he’s truly past his knee problems, as he and the team believe), Yosh Nijman at right tackle (with a full offseason and training camp to get ready) and Zach Tom to challenge and/or provide depth. However, Bakhtiari’s cap number will blow past $40 million next year and Nijman will be a free agent.

Depth meets with need: B-plus

If the Packers pass on, say, Georgia’s Broderick Jones or Tennessee’s Darnell Wright in the first round, they can take a Day 2 shot on someone like Pitt’s Carter Warren or BYU’s Blake Freeland and hope he’s ready to start after a year of seasoning.

Quarterback

Depth of draft class: B-minus

This is a top-heavy group of quarterbacks. There just aren’t many prospects with decent size, decent mobility and decent arm strength – all Packers prerequisites.

Packers need: C-plus

The Packers have spoken a few times of their desire to add a veteran quarterback to stick behind Jordan Love, but that group has been decimated. So, at this point, it appears they’ll have to draft a quarterback to challenge Danny Etling for the No. 2 job. Etling entered the NFL in 2018 and hasn’t played in a game.

Depth meets with need: D

It doesn’t. Fresno State’s Jake Haener and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett fell short of 6-foot, and BYU’s Jaren Hall barely got there. Stanford’s Tanner McKee and Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell aren’t particularly mobile.

Cornerback

Depth of draft class: B-minus

There’s not a star at the top of the draft class but there’s plenty of depth. Unlike at receiver, it helps that most of the corners are at least 5-foot-10 so should be on the board.

Packers need: C

Green Bay will start the offseason with Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas as the corners and Keisean Nixon in the slot. Former first-round pick Eric Stokes, whenever he’s healthy, seems destined for backup duty. He was tremendous as a rookie but had one heck of a sophomore slump. With Alexander, Douglas and Stokes on the perimeter, it would appear a nickel option might be the preference.

Depth meets with need: B-minus

It’s not a priority to draft a cornerback, so Gutekunst should be able to let the cornerback board fall into his lap.

Guard/Center

Depth of draft class: C

There are only two guards in PFF’s list of the top 130 prospects.

Packers need: C-minus

You could do a lot worse than Elgton Jenkins at left guard, Josh Myers at center and Jon Runyan at right guard. Could Zach Tom push Myers or Runyan for a starting job? Is Royce Newman capable of rebounding back into a starting job? And what of Sean Rhyan, last year’s third-round pick who never pushed for playing time and was suspended for the end of the season?

Depth meets with need: B

The Packers probably will draft someone because that’s what they do but it’s certainly not a necessity to reach into a weak group.

Running back

Depth of draft class: A-minus

Texas’ Bijan Robinson is one of the best running prospects in years and is probably the best offensive player in the entire draft. There aren’t many hands-of-stones prospects, nor are there many runts who never made it on Green Bay’s board.

Packers need: C-minus

With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, this would be an “F” for immediate need. But Jones’ contract gets incredibly expensive next year and Dillon will be a free agent. It’s certainly possible the Packers will be starting from scratch in 12 months. And, remember, they drafted Dillon in the second round in 2020 even with Jones and Jamaal Williams on the depth chart.

Depth meets with need: B-plus

Presumably, the Packers will want to draft a back this year and give him a season’s worth of seasoning before pushing him into a bigger role in 2024. There will be plenty of quality candidates through the fifth round.

Linebacker

Depth of draft class: D

As noted by PFF, this group lacks college production and NFL athleticism.

Packers need: D

With De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker back to start and impressive Isaiah McDuffie entering Year 3, the Packers are set. McDuffie and Eric Wilson, who was retained in free agency, were special teams standouts.

Depth meets with need: A

No talent, no need. It’s perfect.