How Many Packers From Hit-And-Miss 2023 Draft Will Survive Training Camp?

The NFL Draft is the lifeblood of the roster-building process for the Green Bay Packers. The 2023 draft, however, didn’t inject a lot of power into the franchise’s veins.

Already, seven of the 13 draft picks are no longer on the roster. A couple players who will compete for jobs in training camp later this month could find their spot on the team in jeopardy.

Fortunately for general manager Brian Gutekunst, he had a hit with Jayden Reed and a home run with Tucker Kraft. It’s a 3-2 count on a couple other draft picks, including first-rounder Lukas Van Ness.

Here’s a closer look at the group of players who should be going into their fourth season with the team.

First Round: Edge Lukas Van Ness

The Packers moved up from No. 15 to No. 13 in the Aaron Rodgers trade and drafted Van Ness. He went from four sacks in 17 games as a rookie to three sacks in 17 games in 2024 to 1.5 sacks in nine games last season.

That’s the wrong direction.

Van Ness is tied for 17th in the draft class with 8.5 sacks and 15th with 17 tackles for losses. The player drafted by the Jets at No. 15, Will McDonald, is fifth with 21.5 sacks and sixth with 25 tackles for losses. At No. 17, the Patriots drafted premier cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a second-team All-Pro in 2024 and a Pro Bowler in 2025.

The Packers flipped the switch on Van Ness’s fifth-year option for 2027, anyway.

Roster outlook: Van Ness is a lock to make the roster and practically a lock to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Given the dubious state of the Packers’ pass rush without Micah Parsons, it’s probably not hyperbole to say the fate of the season rests on Van Ness’s powerful shoulders. He had a strong offseason, for whatever that’s worth.

Second: TE Luke Musgrave

Musgrave was the fourth tight end off the board. Through most of his rookie season, he looked like the long-awaited tight end weapon the Packers had lacked for years. An injured kidney changed everything.

Of the 17 tight ends drafted, Musgrave is sixth with 65 catches, sixth with 649 yards and 12th with one touchdown. He’s had chances to reclaim a significant role but his only career touchdown reception came as a rookie.

Roster outlook: With Tucker Kraft sidelined for the offseason program, Josh Whyle appeared to outplay Musgrave during OTAs and minicamp. If Kraft is 100 percent for Week 1, Whyle stays ahead on the depth chart and one of the young players emerges, it’s possible Musgrave could be on the trade block.

Second: WR Jayden Reed

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Reed was the sixth of 33 receivers selected. Even while missing most of last season with a broken collarbone, he’s 10th in the draft class with 138 catches, eighth with 1,857 yards, fifth with 15 touchdowns and first with a 126.8 passer rating when targeted, according to Stathead.

Also according to Stathead, 139 receivers (regardless of draft class) have been targeted at least 60 times the last three seasons. Reed is No. 1 in passer rating when targeted. He’s excellent after the catch and a surprising deep threat for his size.

Roster outlook: Reed signed a contract extension during the draft which will keep him tied to the team through the 2029 season.

Third Round: TE Tucker Kraft

Kraft was the seventh tight end off the board and would universally be considered a star if not for last year’s torn ACL, which cut his season in half. He trails only Sam LaPorta (186 catches, 2,104 yards) and Dalton Kincaid (156 catches, 1,692 yards) in catches (113) and yards (1,551). He’s second with 15 touchdowns, behind LaPorta’s 20, and first by a wide margin with 13.7 yards per catch.

Kraft admitted some people might think he’s “delusional,” but he considered himself the best do-it-all tight end in the league at the time of the injury. He was on pace for more than 1,000 receiving yards as well as 13 touchdowns; only two tight ends in NFL history have scored more in a season. There might not be a better run-after-catch player, regardless of position, in the league.

Roster outlook: Kraft’s not only a lock to make the roster but he’s a lock to sign a contract extension that could make him the highest-paid tight end in the league.

Fourth Round: DT Colby Wooden

Three and out: Wooden emerged as a pillar of the run defense last season, when he played in 17 games with 16 starts, but was traded this offseason to the Colts for linebacker Zaire Franklin. He had six tackles for losses on running plays last year but just a half-sack in 47 career games.

Fifth Round: QB Sean Clifford

Green Bay Packers quarterback Sean Clifford (16) throws a pass during the preseason aganst Seattle last year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One and done: Clifford served as Jordan Love’s first backup quarterback as a rookie. In 2024, he battled seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt to be Love’s backup again. Rather than a Year 2 step forward, Clifford took a turnover-plagued step back. The Packers whacked both quarterbacks and traded for Malik Willis.

Clifford spent most of last season with the Bengals and will compete for a job with them during training camp.

Fifth Round: WR Dontayvion Wicks

Three and out: The Packers might not have made the playoffs last year without Wicks’ superb two-touchdown performance at Detroit.

Wicks was the 19th receiver off the board but is 12th in receptions, 14th in yards and 10th in touchdowns. That’s good news. The bad news is the 20th receiver off the board was Puka Nacua.

To thin the crowd at receiver, the Packers traded Wicks to the Eagles for a 2026 fifth-round pick that was used on Jager Burton and a 2027 sixth-round pick. We’ll see if that pays off or if Green Bay’s receiver corps runs short on talent due to injuries.

Sixth Round: DT Karl Brooks

Brooks played in all 34 games with zero starts during his first two seasons and recorded 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for losses. Last season, he played in 16 games with seven starts but had a half-sack and one tackle for loss.

Roster outlook: Maybe new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will bring the best out of Brooks after last year’s disappearing act. The bottom of the depth chart probably isn’t strong enough to put his roster spot in jeopardy. The Packers need him to be productive.

Sixth Round: K Anders Carlson

Green Bay Packers place kicker Anders Carlson (17) watches his field goal during the playoff loss to the 49ers. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One and done: The brother of former All-Pro Daniel Carlson, Anders Carlson was the handpicked successor for Mason Crosby. After a rocky rookie season, lowlighted by a critical miss in the playoff loss to the 49ers, he was released at the end of training camp in 2024. He hasn’t kicked in a game since and isn’t on a roster.

The Packers are trying again with rookie sixth-rounder Trey Smack.

Seventh Round: CB Carrington Valentine

Valentine has been an incredible bargain. He was the 30th of 36 cornerbacks drafted. From that group, he ranks seventh with 30 starts and ninth with 18 passes defensed.

While Valentine has clearly outplayed his draft slot and been a solid contributor, that doesn’t mean the Packers can’t do better. So, in free agency, they signed Benjamin St-Juste. In the draft, they added Brandon Cisse in the second round and Domani Jackson in the sixth round.

Roster outlook: If the Packers feel good about some combination of Keisean Nixon, St-Juste and Cisse as the starters and next man up and either Jackson or Hadden have a healthy and solid training camp, Valentine could fetch something in the trade. The alternative is Valentine starts all season, leaves in free agency and the Packers get a compensatory pick in the 2028 draft.

Seventh Round: RB Lew Nichols

Big zero: The 5-foot-10, 220-pounder seemed like he was straight out of Central Casting for a Packers running back. He was cut at the end of training camp and didn’t even get signed to the practice squad. He made his NFL debut last season for the Steelers with six snaps on special teams in one game. He remains on their roster.

Seventh Round: S Anthony Johnson

One and done: Johnson played in 12 games with four starts as a rookie and intercepted one pass. Given how much he played as a rookie, he was surprisingly released at the end of camp in 2024 and claimed off waivers by the Giants, for whom he played in nine games. Johnson spent last season on injured reserve with the Giants and will compete in training camp this summer with the Bears.

Seventh Round: WR Grant DuBose

Big zero: DeBose was released at the end of his rookie training camp and spent the year on the practice squad. He was released at the end of camp in 2024, too, and was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins. He played in three games with two catches before landing on injured reserve following a hit that landed him in a hospital. He spent about a week with the Bills during training camp last year and is out of the league.

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