PFF’s Roster Rankings Show Packers Lack Premier Talent on Defense, Too

The Green Bay Packers managed to field one of the best defenses in the NFL last season even though they lack an abundance of high-end players.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) celebrates with defensive end Rashan Gary following a sack against Seattle. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Defense wins championships?

More often than not, that is the case. Last year, the Green Bay Packers’ defense was playing the best of the three phases by the time the season ended. In his debut season as defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley’s unit finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in total defense despite down seasons from some of his best players and his No. 1 cornerback missing most of the season.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 players at every position. Though not quite to the extent of the offense, the Packers have a lot of good players but not enough true game-changers.

If there is a criticism to be had of general manager Brian Gutekunst, it is that he has found a lot of solid players, but few blue-chip prospects to push them from a good team to a great one.

The Packers were competitive with the league’s best teams a year ago, but not good enough to win. They went 0-6 against the NFC’s three best teams and were a fingertip away from going 0-6 in the NFC North.

How does their roster on defense compare to those around the division? Here is a look at what PFF thought at each position group. Of the five position groups, Detroit had the division’s top player in three. Minnesota dominated overall.

Edge

Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson, 5th

Minnesota’s Jonathan Greenard, 15th

Minnesota’s Andrew Van Ginkel, 17th

Green Bay’s Rashan Gary, 19th

Chicago’s Montez Sweat, 31st

There may not be a position group that was more disappointing last year than the Packers’ pass rushers.

While Gary was selected for his first Pro Bowl, he is a good player who has not been great over the course of a season. As he enters Year 7, he still hasn’t reached double digits in sacks.

The Packers have said repeatedly they want to be able to rush the quarterback with just four players. To accomplish that, Gary must be a much bigger factor.

The best player in this group was one who missed most of last season. Hutchinson suffered a broken leg in October and missed the rest of the season. He had 7.5 sacks in five games; that’s as many as Gary had in 17.

The Vikings’ tandem is interesting because it gives them the ability to rush with four players and get pressure or use Brain Flores’ exotic blitz packages. Greenard and Van Ginkel had big years a season ago and will be looking to build on that in their second year in Minnesota’s defense.

Sweat is at the bottom of the list. He has been slightly disappointing since Chicago traded for him and subsequently rewarded him with a contract extension.

Defensive Tackles

Detroit’s Alim McNeil, 12th

Detroit’s D.J. Reader, 22nd

Minnesota’s Jonathan Allen, 29th

Minnesota’s Javon Hargrave, 30th

The lack of a consistent pass rush doesn’t only fall at the feet of the defensive ends. That is evidenced by PFF leaving out Green Bay from its interior defensive line rankings.

Kenny Clark had arguably his best season in 2023 but one of his worst in 2024 due in part to a toe injury sustained on a Tush Push against the Eagles in Week 1. He played through the injury and had surgery at the end of the season.

If Clark can get back to some semblance of the player he was prior to 2024, it would be a boon for Green Bay’s entire defense.

McNeill is one of two game wreckers Detroit has on the defensive line that will be returning from injuries.

Allen and Hargrave, a pair of two-time Pro Bowlers, were offseason additions for Minnesota. How they fit in with that group remains to be seen.

Linebackers

Detroit’s Jack Campbell, 8th

Green Bay’s Edgerrin Cooper, 9th

Chicago’s Edwards, 10th

Minnesota’s Blake Cashman, 12th

Minnesota’s Ivan Pace Jr., 32nd

Cooper is one of the highest-ranked players on Green Bay’s roster, and for good reason. A second-round pick last year, he struggled early in the season with injuries but, when he was on the field, he was a force. By the end of the season, his arrow was pointed skyward as he earned All-Rookie honors and even received an All-Pro vote. He led all NFL off-the-ball linebackers in tackles for losses.

After playing around 220 pounds at times last season, Cooper said he is up to 240 without sacrificing any athleticism. That makes Cooper’s potential for a big second season even more exciting.

“The sky is the limit,” PFF noted.

In PFF’s rankings, Cooper finished just behind Campbell, a first-round pick in 2023. Edwards finished just behind him.

Notably absent is the other Packers’ every-down linebacker, Quay Walker. Walker is in line for a contract extension, as the Packers have repeatedly said they view him as part of their future. If he can rediscover the form he saw in late November before an ankle injury stopped his momentum, perhaps he could find himself on these rankings in 2026.

Cornerbacks

Chicago’s Jaylon Johnson, 4th

Detroit’s D.J. Reed, 6th

Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander, 9th

Minnesota’s Byron Murphy, 29th

One player from each team in the NFC North made this list, though the one who plays for Green Bay is not even certain to be on the team for the upcoming season.

The saga that is the Alexander situation has yet to reach a resolution, though he will participate in next week’s mandatory minicamp, according to The Athletic. When Alexander is on the field, he’s excellent. The issue, and reason his future is uncertain, is because he has not been on the field much since signing a contract extension.

Reed is a newcomer to the division, jumping from the Jets to the Lions in free agency. Johnson is a premier player at his position and should be one of the anchors of a tough Chicago defense in 2025. Murphy is coming off a breakout season.

Safeties

Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney, 2nd

Detroit’s Brian Branch, 5th

Detroit’s Kerby Joseph, 6th

Chicago’s Kevin Byard, 18th

Minnesota’s Harrison Smith, 27th

Minnesota’s Josh Metellus, 30th

In what is likely a surprise to nobody, safety is the position where Green Bay leads the pack. There may not have been a better free agent signing in 2024 than McKinney, who helped solve Green Bay’s woeful safety position in a big way.

His first five games were historic, securing an interception in each of those games. He led the team with eight picks and was one of the leaders on his defense by the end of the season.

The rest of the league took notice, voting McKinney first-team All-Pro.

That led to a competitive feud between McKinney and Joseph, who comes in sixth on this list as part of Detroit’s dynamic tandem on the back end.

The ageless Harrison Smith still found his way to the bottom of the list.

The Packers do not have a player other than McKinney on PFF’s list of safeties, but could have an intriguing training camp battle for someone to start next to him between last year’s rookies, Evan Williams and Javon Bullard.