Twenty Players to Watch When Packers OTAs Start This Week

For the Green Bay Packers, football season begins this week.

Four weeks of offseason practices will kick off on Tuesday with the first day of organized team activities. Starting jobs won’t be won or lost during OTAs, but these will be key practices for young players looking to win starting jobs or a spot on the roster.

Here are 20 players to watch, ranging from quarterback to kicker.

QB Kyle McCord

Jordan Love will be the starting quarterback and Tyrod Taylor will be the backup. That’s obvious. It will be McCord vs. undrafted rookie Kyron Drones for the No. 3 job, with the winner perhaps becoming the front-runner to be the backup in 2027.

McCord was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2025 after a phenomenal senior season at Syracuse. He spent last on Philadelphia’s practice squad and said he’s a better player.

“I think, obviously, always refining my skills and getting better in terms of mechanics and stuff like that, but I think last year, I almost viewed it as a redshirt year,” he said at rookie camp. “You get to see how things are run in the NFL and different defenses being in an NFL system. Obviously not Green Bay's, but still an NFL system in Philly, so I think just having that year of experience, although didn't play, obviously, I think is helping me tremendously.”

RB MarShawn Lloyd

In a perfect world, Lloyd would have been the backup to Josh Jacobs each of the last two seasons. That, of course, was not the case. He’s missed 33 of a possible 34 games in two seasons due to a litany of injuries.

None of that matters now, though. Lloyd can take that history to the shredder if he can get on the field and stay on the field and provide the explosive counterpuncher to Jacobs.

“Not only does he give you something alongside Josh, he can do things that the other guys can’t in terms of his speed and quickness,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said. “I don’t want to say they can’t, but not at the level that he can do it because he’s the fastest and the quickest guy that we have.”

RB Damien Martinez

Given Lloyd’s history, the running back depth chart behind Jacobs will be a wide-open battle. Martinez was a seventh-round pick by the Seahawks in 2025. During his final collegiate season at Miami, he was one of the best after-contact runners in the nation.

He won’t be able to flash that tackle-breaking skill until training camp and the preseason, but if he can show legit pass-catching ability to go with that power, he could be in a good position to make the roster.

WR Matthew Golden

The Packers parted ways with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, clearing the way for last year’s first-round pick to not just start but have a critical role in Green Bay’s offense. It might not be an exaggeration to say that the fate of the season will rest on Golden’s ability to show a No. 1 receiver skill-set.

WR Savion Williams

Green Bay Packers receiver Savion Williams is tackled during the game at Denver. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Last year’s third-round pick was buried on the depth chart and slowed by a foot injury. The coaches got him involved with a schemed touch or two most games but, by and large, he was a nonfactor. That will have to change as he’s almost the closest thing the Packers have to “proven depth” behind Golden, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed.

Williams caught all 10 passes thrown his way, but his average distance of target was 1.2 yards, the second-shortest among the 167 receivers who were targeted at least 10 times. He had a huge 33-yard catch against the Giants; the other nine targets were caught a combined 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

“He’s a big guy who’s powerful and fast,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said. “He had the foot injury, and it’s never an excuse, but I think to get better, you have to practice. … But he’s come back in better shape, because he wasn’t [going on] draft visits, he’s trained for the last three months. He’s catching the ball extremely well, and above all of everything, he knows the playbook.”

WR Isaiah Neyor

Golden, Reed, Watson, Williams and Skyy Moore are the front-runners for five spots at receiver. That leaves one spot open among a group of talented but unproven receivers. From a pure measurables perspective, none have a better skill-set than Isaiah Neyor, an undrafted rookie last year who signed during training camp and spent the season on the practice squad.

Isaiah Neyor is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.90 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 41 out of 3815 WR from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/07yHsuIZRS pic.twitter.com/DpFjAU1pYY
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 12, 2025

TE R.J. Maryland

Speaking of pure measurables, there’s Maryland, an undrafted rookie and the only player added at the position. The son of former NFL star Russell Maryland has the potential to be a real mismatch, a skill-set that he’ll be able to show off during OTAs.

RJ Maryland is a TE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 7.32 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 391 out of 1456 TE from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/32OFF6bXNK pic.twitter.com/4QiwHnHLa0
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 3, 2026

In four seasons at SMU, he caught 113 passes for 1,495 yards and 19 touchdowns. He caught only 1-of-6 in contested-catch situations, though.

LT Jordan Morgan

We didn’t list a lot of big guys in this story because OTAs aren’t the time for blockers to block and defensive linemen to cause mayhem.

Morgan was the team’s first-round pick in 2024. After two years in a utility role, he’ll finally get his chance to focus on the position he starred at Arizona. If a tackle can handle speed during the offseason practices, he should be able to handle speed during games. Will Morgan be able to handle that speed with shorter-than-desired arms? That will become apparent over the next month.

“I’m excited about him being over there,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “I thought last year he showed flashes of being able to be a good left tackle in this league when we had him out there, so I’m excited to get him out there. Just get him comfortable playing on the edge, protecting the blind side.”

RG Anthony Belton

Last year’s second-round pick was locked in at tackle throughout his rookie offseason and training camp before finally moving to right guard at midseason. He was inconsistent, to be sure, but showed potential of being an excellent starter.

For the last two seasons, there was an obvious backup plan at left tackle. If Rasheed Walker was out, the Packers could pivot to Morgan. There’s no obvious backup plan at left tackle now. If something were to happen to Morgan, who would protect Jordan Love’s blind side? That player could be Belton.

G John Williams

The Packers drafted Williams in the seventh round last year. A quality starting left tackle during his final two seasons at Cincinnati, he was projected as a potential do-it-all backup. Williams, however, missed almost his entire rookie season with a back injury. Sidelined for the entire offseason, training camp and preseason, his experience consists of three weeks of practice late in the season.

DT Javon Hargrave

Hargrave had two dominant seasons alongside Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia with 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for losses in 2021 and 11 sacks and 10 tackles for losses in 2022. Last year with the Vikings, though, he had 3.5 sacks and four tackles for losses.

How much juice does the 33-year-old have in his game? Offseason practices, obviously, aren’t a true indicator for a defensive tackle, but Gannon and the Packers would feel good if Hargrave can use his quickness and savvy to beat his man and get in the backfield with some regularity.

DT Nazir Stackhouse/Jonathan Ford

The Packers drafted Chris McClellan in the third round this year with the expectation that he’ll win the starting job at nose tackle. He won’t start the offseason with the No. 1 unit, though. Between Stackhouse and Ford, whoever takes that first snap this week should be considered the frontrunner in what could be a two-man battle for one roster spot.

Edge Barryn Sorrell

Barryn Sorrell will be the front-runner to start on the edge alongside Lukas Van Ness. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Packers used a fourth-round pick last year on Sorrell. For the most part, the highlight of his rookie season was getting drafted. He played a little here and there before starting in Week 18 against the Vikings. Of his 1.5 sacks, 15 tackles and six pressures for the season, he had one sack, eight tackles and two pressures against Minnesota.

Having an offseason to get ready for football rather than 40-yard dashes, he could be poised for a big step forward. The Packers will need it as he’s probably in line to be the starter until Micah Parsons returns.

Edge Collin Oliver

The Packers used a fifth-round pick last year on Oliver, an undersized pass rusher out of Oklahoma State.

Oliver seemed miscast as a 4-3 defensive end. He could be an excellent fit in Gannon’s scheme, though, with his potential as a pass rusher and his athleticism to drop into coverage. He’ll have to stay healthy, though, after missing almost all of his senior season and then playing in only one game as a rookie.

“Obviously, the college tape and he was hurt then, too,” position coach and defensive run-game coordinator DeMarcus Covington said. “Last year, pretty much, it only had probably three weeks or so of evaluation. I’m excited to work with him going forward on an extended, consistent basis.

“We’ll see what he brings to the table. Obviously, he was drafted for a reason. He had some good production in college. He’s shown some great traits. Hopefully, he can come help us out this year in 2026.”

LB Edgerrin Cooper

Cooper is one of the team’s best players on defense. He led all linebackers in tackles for losses as a rookie in 2024 but wasn’t really unleashed last season. It will be interesting to see how Gannon uses Cooper during the offseason practices and if he’ll be put into attack mode more often.

CB Benjamin St-Juste

St-Juste was the first big addition in what was an extreme makeover at cornerback. At 6-foot-3, he’s got rare size for the position, especially compared to returning starters Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.

St-Juste has had an up-and-down first five seasons in the NFL. He was superb with the Chargers last year, though, ranking in the top six at the position in completion percentage and passer rating allowed. Plus, he’s an excellent tackler.

OTA football isn’t “real football,” of course, but if St-Juste can cover the likes of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden in May and June, he should be able to cover anyone when the regular season kicks off.

CB Brandon Cisse

The Packers used their first draft pick on Cisse, who had an excellent final season at South Carolina. Second-round picks are expected to play, especially at a position of need. How quickly can he climb the depth chart? And can he be more of a playmaker than he was in college? Nixon had the only interception by a Packers cornerback during the regular season.

Brandon Cisse was drafted in round 2 with pick 52 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.24 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 234 out of 3075 CB from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/TrHUJsN2It pic.twitter.com/Lfzl7Q10p7
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

CB Domani Jackson

Jackson was considered a potential first-round pick at this time last year. Instead, he had poor coverage numbers, lost his starting job and plunged into the sixth round. However, his talent is obvious and the coaches at Alabama believe in his potential.

“I think if you played Domani Jackson’s college career 10 times, I think seven or eight of those times, he’s a first-round pick,” said Eric Galko, the executive director of the East-West Shrine Bowl.

CB/WR Bo Melton

Including St-Juste, Cisse and Jackson, the Packers added five cornerbacks this offseason. What does that mean for Bo Melton? The Packers moved him from receiver to corner last offseason, believing that gave him a better path to the 53-man roster. Now, even though he’s still listed on the roster as a cornerback, the better path might be at receiver.

K Trey Smack

It will be Smack vs. Lucas Havrisik after the Packers traded up to draft Smack and released Brandon McManus. Smack had three excellent seasons at Florida and has the leg strength necessary to kick in the Green Bay cold.

All eyes will be on Smack, meaning all the pressure is on Smack. That’s a good thing. Surviving the pressure cooker now should help him when he steps on the field for his first big kicks as a pro.

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