Packers finally get their Round 1 WR, pick Texas’ Matthew Golden, a terrific fit for LaFleur’s offense

Paul Bretl | 4/24/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Well, it happened. For the first time in 23 years, the Packers selected a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft, picking Texas’ Matthew Golden at 23rd overall.

As we all know, before this pick, the last receiver taken in the first round was Javon Walker out of Florida State in 2002.

“Definitely a lot of emotions, man,” said Golden of being drafted by the Packers. “It all goes back to wanting to be drafted in the first round. I knew it was an opportunity each team. When the Packers came, I had a feeling that they was going to come to get me. Once I got the call, I answered it and they told me they was picking me, so it was a lot of excitement.”

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Although wide receiver obviously hasn’t been a common selection for the Packers at this stage of the draft, Golden to Green Bay always made plenty of sense, which is why he was one of the five players listed on my shortlist of Round 1 options.

While not the typical big-bodied presence we’ve seen the Packers covet, he does meet the size requirements that organization has typically preferred, measuring in at 5-11 and weighing 191 pounds.

On the field, he brings much-needed speed to the passing game, running a blazing 4.29-second 40 at the NFL combine–the fastest of any wide out. Without Christian Watson, the Packers are going to need that vertical presence.

This ability not only creates explosive play opportunities for the receiver, but offenses need defenses to respect that element. This can then create more spacing and open up windows for others over the middle, on underneath routes, and even help out the running game if a defense is going to sit in a Cover-2 look to protect against the deep ball.

Last season, 22 of Goldens’ 83 targets came 20-plus yards downfield. That isn’t an overwhelming amount, but he caught 13 of them, which was tied for the eighth-most among receivers.

“You watch him, we thought arguably he had some of the best hands in the draft,” GM Brian Gutekunst said. “Not only coming back to him and running through it but when he tracks it over his shoulder and stuff too. He’s a strong athlete. He’s really versatile, he’s going to do a lot of things, but we certainly felt that he could play outside and that would work for us.”

However, having said all of that, Golden isn’t just a downfield threat. What truly makes him such a good fit for the Packers’ offense is his ability to attack all levels of the field. According to PFF, along with his 22 targets downfield, he also had 26 targets on passes from 10-19 yards and 26 others on passes from 0-9 yards.

His target distribution across the field was incredibly consistent, and with that, Golden also has experience lining up both from the slot and on the boundary. Although he doesn’t have the typical size and frame that you might expect from a boundary wideout in the Packers’ offense, Gutekunst believes that Golden’s skill set will translate well there at the NFL level.

“I definitely understand the game so well to where I can tempo my routes so where I don’t have to run full speed and I just know where my breaking points need to be, wherever the defender is,” Golden said. “I got a lot in my game. I could play inside, play out. I could also take the top off, so whatever the team needs me to do, I’m definitely that guy they need to do that.”

This interchangeability that Golden brings to the NFL level is precisely what Matt LaFleur wants to have at the receiver position, as it allows him to really customize game plans based on the opponent, and it makes defending this Packers offense more challenging, with there being that level of unpredictability.

Golden would finish his 2024 season at Texas, catching 70% of his 83 targets. As mentioned by Gutekunst, that catch rate was one of the many things about Golden that stood out to him, his hands and overall reliability as he was able to haul in a variety of different passes on varying routes consistently.

In addition to his high catch rate, Golden showcased his big-play ability, averaging a whopping 17.0 yards per catch, which not only included downfield throws, but a steady playmaking presence with the ball in his hands as well.

And of note, when discussing Golden’s 2024 season, his two biggest games came in two of Texas’ biggest games. In the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, Golden went for 162 yards. Then, in Texas’ first College Football Playoff game, Golden went for 149 yards.

“It just goes back to when them lights turn on man, playing on the biggest stage; I always told myself I wanted to do that,” Golden said of those games. “Going to Texas I knew I had the opportunity to play against great opponents (and) play at the highest level. Just knowing when the lights turn on, it’s time to go. That’s the mindset I got.”

The fit is there, the production is there, and also an important part of this evaluation equation during the pre-draft process, is a player’s competitiveness–something Gutekunst discussed during his pre-draft press conference.

After spending two seasons at Houston, where he was a steady part of that offense with over 110 targets during that span, Golden wanted to play for and go against the best. In practice, he regularly went up against Jahdae Barron at cornerback, another first-round pick. He routinely faced NFL competition on a weekly basis in the SEC as well.

Then, in his personal life, Golden has faced and overcome adversity as well.

“Authentic and genuine,” said Gutekunst about Golden. “This guy’s been through some things now in his young life and come out the other side of it. I think he’s very authentic, he knows who he is. He loves football and I think he’s going to be a great teammate around here.”

Like any player making the jump from college to the NFL, as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein notes, “refinement” is needed as a route runner, but Golden as the “potential to develop into a WR1 in the future.”

Gutekunst mentioned before the draft that the Packers don’t necessarily need their first-round pick to contribute right away, but said after the selection of Golden that he believes he can. But with the Packers already established wide receiver room, of course, the hope is that Golden can make an impact and that his presence can help raise the level of competition and urgency, and therefore the level of play; he doesn’t have to be that WR1 on Day 1 either.

“Guys are coming in and making an impact quicker and I certainly think Matthew has the opportunity to do that,” Gutekunst said. “Now, we’ve got some good players in that room, so he’s not going to have to carry the load that way. But I think he has a chance to contribute, and not only as a receiver, but I think he has some special teams and return ability as well that could help us.”

Gutekunst’s recent draft history suggests that 1 of these 7 prospects will be Packers

Paul Bretl | 4/24/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — There are two parts of the pre-draft process that the Packers have held in high regard during GM Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as general manager, particularly in recent years. That would be the Senior Bowl and official 30 visits.

The Senior Bowl is an invitation-only, All-Star college football event held each year in Mobile, Alabama. At the Senior Bowl, top draft prospects are able to showcase their talents against high-level competition during a week of practices followed by an All-Star game.

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The event attracts GMs and scouts from across the NFL and has traditionally been for seniors or fourth-year juniors who have graduated, but in 2024 for the first time, underclassmen were eligible to participate if they received an invite.

Over the last three drafts, the Packers have made 35 total selections, and 18 of those players were participants in the Senior Bowl. This includes eight of 11 draft picks from 2024 being a part of the event.

“It’s very important for us,” said Brian Gutekunst following the 2024 draft about the Senior Bowl. “We put a lot of time into it, and like I said, their staff down there in Mobile, they do such a good job getting us to spots where we can really evaluate these guys. We’re very appreciative of that. It’s certainly not by design, but I know we’ve taken a lot of Senior Bowl guys over the years.”

When it comes to the official 30 visit, each team is permitted to have 30 draft prospects at the team facility for an official visit. While we often hear these meetings called “top 30 visits,” it does not mean that all of these players are at the top of the Packers’ draft board.

Instead, these visits are often reserved for prospects who the team still has questions about, and these meetings provide an additional opportunity to get to know the prospect, go over film, and do medical checks if needed.

Some teams, like the Jaguars and Rams, don’t host prospects for these visits. Then on the other end of the spectrum, you have the Packers, where there is a strong connection between players who were brought in for these visits and who eventually ends up on the team.

Over the last three pre-draft cycles from 2022 through 2024, the Packers have had 90 players in for 30 visits–like every other team has. Of those 90 visits, 21 have ended up on the Packers roster in some capacity–or nearly 25% of visits–whether that be as a draft pick or signing as an undrafted rookie.

“It’s really just about answering a question maybe that we don’t have an answer to,” said Gutekunst of 30 visits prior to the 2024 NFL draft. “Sometimes that’s a non-combine guy that we need to get medical information on. Sometimes that’s a Combine guy we have, whether it’s a football question, an off-the-field situation or maybe it’s just getting to know him better.”

So we have two separate parts of the pre-draft process that, on their own, at the bare minimum, tell us who is on the Packers’ radar. So when we cross-reference these two lists of prospects, and find players who have participated in both the Senior Bowl and a 30 visit with the Packers, those are going to be names to watch as the draft unfolds.

Last year I did this exercise and of the seven players who were a part of both events, Kitan Oladapo and Ty’Ron Hopper ended up being selected.

So, if I were to make an educated guess, for the reasons already laid out, I would say that there is a good chance one of these prospects ends up as a Green Bay Packer.

Walter Nolen, IDL, Ole Miss: Nolen was a top run defender by PFF’s metrics in 2024 and totaled a career high 35 pressures and six sacks. As Lance Zierlein noted, Nolen wins with both athleticism and strength.

Jordan Burch, DE, Oregon: In a rotational role, Burch was efficient and effective with his pass rush reps. He also has the ability to line up in multiple gaps, which would fit well in Jeff Hafley’s scheme.

Tai Felton, WR, Maryland: Felton had a whopping 143 targets this past season, lining up both out wide and in the slot. He caught 67% of those passes for 1,119 yards and nine scores.

Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss: A boundary cornerback with terrific ball production. Amos had three interceptions and 10 pass breakups in 2024 alone. Vision on the ball is a trait the Packers want to emphasize at this position due to its importance in Hafley’s defense.

Anthony Belton, OT, NC State: Belton spent most of his career at left tackle and brings the size and length to the position that teams frequently covet. In 438 pass-blocking snaps last season, Belton allowed just three sacks and 12 pressures.

TJ Sanders, IDL, South Carolina: Sanders brings a well-rounded skill-set to the NFL level, able to make an impact as a run defender and pass rusher at South Carolina this past season.

Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M: The knock on Stewart is the lack of production in college, but as Gutekunst described early this week, this evaluation process is about projecting who a player can become. Stewart brings size, elite athleticism, versatility, and the ability to be on the field for all three downs to the NFL.

The caveat to all of this is that these events and the process we just went through are not the be-all-end-all when it comes to who the Packers are going to select. The Senior Bowl and 30 visits are each one part of what is the long and tedious process that is prospect evaluation.

At the end of the day, every aspect is important as the Packers attempt to collect as much data on each player as possible to make an informed decision. And of course, tape is always going to be King.

“It’s all important,” said Gutekunst last offseason of the pre-draft process. “First and foremost, it’s all important, the medical, everything’s important. At the end of the day, and this goes back for as long as I’ve done this, you go back to the tape and how they play the game. I think whenever there’s discrepancies, whenever you’re not sure, you go back to the tape, and that’s going to be your best predictor of future success is what they’ve done on tape, and that’s kind of what we live by.”

However, as we wonder who is on the Packers’ radar, recent history does say that at least one of these players will end up in Green Bay.

This NFL draft is different than the last 2 for the Packers, but will the approach change?

Paul Bretl | 4/23/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — From a roster-building and construction standpoint, this year’s NFL draft looks a bit different for the Packers than it did in 2023 and 2024. So will that alter how GM Brian Gutekunst navigates the next three days?

“No, I don’t think so,” said Gutekunst on Monday when asked if having fewer draft picks will change anything. “I think there’s probably a little strategy difference. You know, as far as you’re going through things, because you just have more ammunition at the top, which is, probably makes things a little bit more flexible. But no, I don’t think there’s anything that changes, you know, how we go about it, building the board, or anything like that.

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Two years ago, as the Packers transitioned to Jordan Love being the starting quarterback, that wasn’t the only shift that took place on the roster. Gutekunst also made a concerted effort to get younger and lean into creating as much competition as he could at every position on the roster.

At the center of that roster shift was the NFL draft, with the Packers holding a hefty 24 selections over those two years. For two seasons now, the Packers have had the youngest roster in the NFL, but still managed to make the playoffs each year as well.

Compared to the rest of the NFL, the Packers have had very little roster turnover this offseason. According to Over the Cap, only 7.7% of the Packers’ total snaps from the 2024 season won’t be returning in 2025. This is the seventh-lowest mark in football. In addition to that, with 72 players currently under contract prior to the draft, only 12 teams have more.

So, given the team’s recent regular season success and the number of key contributors returning, it’s easy to see why Gutekunst is confident in where his roster currently stands.

“I feel really good about our roster right now,” Gutekunst said. “I think that’s one of–that doesn’t happen every year. Every year’s a little bit different, but if we had to go play next week I feel really good about our roster. I feel like we could win and go compete. Really across the board.”

Even at the positions that are deemed as pressing needs for this Packers team to address, it’s not as if they are void of talent there either. Along the defensive front, while an improved pass rush is needed, the Packers still have Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt, and others.

It’s a similar story at wide receiver. Without question, more consistency is required, but there is a solid foundation here as well with Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson returning at some point as well.

So for those reasons, this year’s draft for the Packers is different than it was in years past. Of course, there are still needs to be tackled, but the reshaping process that Gutekunst went through in 2023 and 2024 is largely complete. Now it’s about fine-tuning.

In theory, having fewer draft picks and having an overall well-constructed roster could impact how the Packers go about this year’s draft.

In one respect, with relatively few roster spots to fill, perhaps the Packers would be more willing to hone in on one of those aforementioned positions of need, but that logic also defies how Green Bay goes about the draft process.

“Hopefully as this draft unfolds we’re able to just sit back and select the best player that falls to us,” said Gutekunst. “I think that’s something we prepare ourselves to be in. No, I don’t think we look at it really any differently than other years. Certainly if there’s an opportunity to take a player at that position and it makes sense we will do it, but I don’t think we feel like we need to do anything.”

Or maybe the current state of the roster–given the quantity and quality of players–could allow them to be more aggressive and more willing to part with draft capital to trade up to go and get a player that could provide a big boost at a certain position. Although, in doing so, because a second premium pick is being traded away to make that jump up the draft board, you better be right about the kind of instant impact that player can have.

“It’s a two for one,” Gutekunst said about trading up in the first round, “and when you’re talking about premium picks, first, second, third, maybe even fourth round type picks, you’re expecting those guys to be good players. So if you’re going to do it, it’s got to be a player worth that.

“He’s got to be pretty good player, and I think he’s certainly got to fit a vision that we have for him, that could come in right away and be productive. But at the same time, those players do become available, and it’s not like we wouldn’t do it.”

Gutekunst is right; if the Packers had to suit up this Sunday and play a game, they would probably go out and win most of the time. He’s built a roster with a high floor and one where rookie contributions aren’t a must. That’s a good spot to be in.

While not flashy, the Packers’ disciplined approach to the offseason and the processes that they have established to evaluate players and construct the roster are part of what has made them a franchise that is a perennial playoff contender. And despite the uncertainty that loomed two years ago, Gutekunst has positioned Green Bay to continue being a part of those postseason conversations.

However, while the Packers can win the majority of their games, can they win the ones against the NFC’s best? Last season, they were unable to do that, and as we look ahead to 2025, we know this team is good, but the big question is, how good are they? Is this a competing-for-championships type of team?

That question won’t be answered until actual football begins, but the catalyst behind that outcome will be internal growth from those already on the roster. Of course, the Packers hope that early draft picks can come in, contribute, and help elevate the team, but that isn’t necessarily viewed as a must either.

So, to circle back to our initial question, is the recipe there for the Packers to operate differently in this year’s NFL draft? I believe so. But will that be what happens? I don’t think so. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong or that the Packers can’t get over the playoff hump, but it’s up to Gutekunst to be proven that this is the right approach.

“No, I think you’d love to,” said Gutekunst when asked if first-round picks need to contribute right away. “It’s great when they do, but that’s not always the case. And this is, the transition to the National Football League is tough. It’s not always easy. A lot of times it’s really determined by opportunity. If you take a guy in a particular area that he’s just going to have a lot more opportunity than somebody else, and we try to stay away from that, that drafting for need, and we try to just take the best player available, if that’s possible. But most of the time, a guy’s impact in his rookie year comes down to the opportunities that he had, more than anything.”

Easy decision for Packers with Quay Walker, Devonte Waytt 5th year options looming

Paul Bretl | 4/22/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The deadline for NFL teams to either pick up or decline the fifth-year options for 2022 first-round draft picks is approaching, with those decisions needing to be made by May 1st.

Every player selected in the first round of the NFL draft comes with a fifth-year option that the team can either pick up or decline. The 2022 draft class is entering the final year of their rookie deals, so these decisions that teams have to make are for the 2026 season.

For the Packers specifically, it’s not just one decision they have to make, but rather two, with both Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker being first-round selections in 2022.

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However, based on what GM Brian Gutekunst had to say on Monday, it doesn’t sound like this is much of a decision at all–the Packers want both players back for the 2026 season and potentially beyond.

“I think we’re pretty close,” said Gutekunst. “We won’t deal with that until after the draft, but I think for both those guys, whatever mechanism we use, we’d like to keep those guys around for ‘26 and beyond.”

From the outside perspective, these fifth-year option decisions that the Packers have to make with Walker and Wyatt certainly don’t appear to be as clear-cut as they would have been with Jaire Alexander or Rashan Gary, as examples. But internally, the Packers liked what they saw from both Walker and Wyatt in 2024 and the trajectories they are on.

As the Mike linebacker in Jeff Hafley’s defense, a role that comes with massive pre-snap responsibilities, as Walker banked more reps, things really began to click for him coming out of the team’s bye week as he navigated that learning curve.

As Walker himself described, as the season progressed, he gained more confidence in what he was being asked to do and the roles of his teammates around him. The results were that from Weeks 12-14, Walker was doing a bit of everything for this Packers’ defense. During that span of three games, Walker generated the second-most quarterback pressures of any linebacker in the NFL. He would also rank 13th, surrendering just 6.9 yards per catch.

In addition to that, his 20 tackles were tied for the fifth-most, and while tackles can sometimes be a misleading stat, the 11 stops that he generated on those tackles–the seventh-most among linebackers during those three games–shows the quality of those plays.

“I think he was progressing at that point also and playing some good football, right about the time he got hurt,” said former linebackers coach Anthony Campanile. “I thought it was a steady progression for him, he made a jump I would say at that point in the year. I think he was just starting to see it really well. In the room, I think he’s done everything he can do. He’s all over it. Answering questions, totally immersed and locked into the game plan.

“That’s something that kind of speaks to the character of the guy, too. Even the games he hasn’t played in, he’s in the room, answering questions, calling it out, playing the plays through on the screen just like he’s out there as he normally would be.”

When it comes to the pass rush, overall, the Packers need more from their four-man front, but Wyatt specifically was the Packers’ most consistent pass rusher from the defensive tackle position, as Gutekunst put it.

To help illustrate that point from Gutekunst, out of all the Packers’ defensive tackles and defensive ends, Wyatt had the highest-pass rush win rate this season, according to PFF.

Among all defensive tackles in the NFL, Wyatt ranked 11th in that category and third in pass-rush productivity, which is an efficiency metric, measuring how often a pass rusher generates pressure relative to the number of snaps they play and it’s more heavily weighted towards sacks.

This past season we also saw Wyatt make a big jump as a run defender, where he ranked sixth among his position group in run-stop rate after ranking 48th in that same category a year ago.

“We’re super fired about both those guys’ seasons this year,” Gutekunst said during his season-ending press conference. “Both of them dealt with some injuries and was really proud of how they attacked those and played through some things this year. But I think both those guys had their best years as pros so far.”

Now, just because the Packers want Wyatt and Walker back for 2026 and beyond, doesn’t mean the team is going to exercise the fifth-year options for both players.

The contract amounts for these fifth-year options are predetermined and based on position played, playing time, and any if any Pro Bowls were made. These are one-year deals that are fully guaranteed.

As of now, Over the Cap is projecting that Walker’s fifth-year option will pay him $14.75 million in 2026, and Wyatt would earn $13.92 million. Since these are one-year deals and fully guaranteed, those figures are also what Walker and Wyatt’s cap hits would be as well.

Particularly with Walker, we could see the Packers take a similar approach with him as they did with Jordan Love, where the two sides agree to a short-term extension. This approach would allow Walker–or Wyatt–to earn more than what they’ve made on their rookie deals on a per-year basis, likely along with some added earning potential through incentives, and it gives them security beyond 2025.

For the Packers, this option allows them more salary cap flexibility with how they structure the contracts.

“Whether that’s through doing the fifth year option on these guys or extending them one way or the other, we’re planning to do that, we’d like to do that,” Gutekunst added on Monday.

The big question the Packers attempt to answer in evaluating NFL draft prospects

Paul Bretl | 4/21/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — As Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said during his end-of-season press conference, it’s time that this team starts competing for championships. He also stressed the importance of urgency.

So, given where this Packers team is currently at and the goals they have, is it mandatory that their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft come in and make an immediate impact? Well, maybe not.

“No, I think you’d love to,” said Gutekunst when meeting with reporters on Monday. “It’s great when they do, but that’s not always the case. And this is, the transition to the National Football League is tough. It’s not always easy. A lot of times it’s really determined by opportunity. If you take a guy in a particular area that he’s just going to have a lot more opportunity than somebody else, and we try to stay away from that, that drafting for need, and we try to just take the best player available, if that’s possible. But most of the time, a guy’s impact in his rookie year comes down to the opportunities that he had, more than anything.”

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One of the first questions that Gutekunst and his scouting department ask themselves when evaluating a prospect is, what is that player going to do in the NFL? Who are they going to be?

That’s the educated prediction that the Packers are attempting to make as they build out their big board ahead of the draft, and it’s those answers that will be essential in determining who they end up selecting.

To get to those answers, there are obviously numerous factors and variables in play, including one of the age-old NFL draft questions of production or potential. Selecting the player who could perhaps help more so right away or the prospect loaded with upside?

To find that answer, it’s about figuring out the why. If the traits appear to be there, then why wasn’t the production? Or if there was a ton of production, can how the prospect accumulated those numbers translate to the NFL level, and then be sustained and improved upon?

“What you’re trying to predict is what they’re going to do in the National Football League,” said Gutekunst. “That’s first and foremost, so, if a player didn’t have the kind of production that you think he should at the college level and just, there’s a lot of discussion about why, why that was and if you think that’s something that as he moves forward and he progresses as a football player, if that’s going to change or not.”

Through that process, it’s about establishing where a player is currently positioned on their learning trajectory, and identifying how much more growth is out there for them if in the right environment at the NFL level.

An important part of that equation is that teams will utilize a player’s measurements and athletic testing figures as a barometer for how high that prospect’s ceiling can be. And in today’s NFL, there is no shortage of information that is out there when it comes to these metrics. As Gutekunst described, even when players opt out of certain drills, while there is more work involved on the team’s part, using GPS tracking data, which most Power 5 schools have, the Packers are able to get the data they need.

“I come from the Ron Wolf, Ted Thompson,” Gutekunst said, “so traits are very very important to us. Testing numbers are important, and that’s part of the changing world in scouting right now. These guys are really picking and choosing what they do. We don’t have universal numbers across the board like we used to, which makes it tough, but there are some new technologies coming into play with GPS data and things like that, that you kind of have to try to make up for it. So the traits are really important to us.”

Even from the outside looking in, there are certain athletic testing metrics and thresholds that have seemingly been established for the Packers at specific position groups. All of that is quantifiable, and the team can determine whether or not the data that they have lines up with what they are seeing on film.

But one of the more difficult aspects of this evaluation process is when the team is attempting to measure those unquantifiable, but important, elements that go into playing the game of football. One example of this is a player’s competitiveness. How much do they love the game of football?

“I think the motivation of why guys play is something we spend a lot of time (on), trying to find out their ‘whys.’ I do think it’s important. This league’s hard. There’s a lot of adversity—for even the best players. And to go out there and compete each and every day to get better takes a lot. There’s a lot of competition in these rooms. So, the motivation for these guys to go to do that better be strong. If it’s not, it’s probably easy to find a way out.”

Another one of those unquantifiable metrics is instincts, which can put a player in the right position over and over again to make plays. You can’t put instincts on a spread sheet and then attempting to identify how one prospect’s instincts compare to another prospect’s high-end athletic traits is a whole new challenge.

“That’s one of the harder things,” said Gutekunst on evaluating instincts. “I think also one of the harder things is where he is in his development with that, because instincts aren’t something you either have or don’t have. I think it’s something that is over time you either gain or don’t, but every player’s at a little bit different part of their process. A lot of that depends on how much playing time they got in college and maybe where they came from in high school.”

When it comes to gathering all of this information and data, the Packers have their own processes for going about doing so and the metrics for evaluating it all. But by Gutekunst’s own admission, with the current state of the college football landscape and many players playing for multiple schools during their college careers, the frequent movement at the college football level has made it difficult at times to evaluate these metrics as the team wants. There’s additional legwork that is now very much a part of the equation to make sure that all the correct information is available to the Packers.

At this stage of the pre-draft process for the Packers, the work is done. Now it’s about trusting all that time that’s been put in and letting the board ultimately do the dictating for the Packers and allowing that to make their decisions.

However, when it comes to those decisions, while immediate help will always be welcomed, as the Packers go through their draft evaluation process, it’s ultimately about determining where a player is in his development and how high his ceiling is if brought into the Packers organization. 

The hope, of course, is that the Packers find instant help and long-term growth potential. That’s the goal. But not to be forgotten in all this is that the draft is about projecting who a player will become down the road, and it’s less about who they are on draft night.

“The unpredictability is real,” said Gutekunst of the draft, “but I think for us, it’s just a matter of, we take a lot of pride in the people that we bring into this locker room. We’re obviously chasing things that are really big around here and we’ve got a very good football team with some really good guys in that locker room, and the guys we bring into this locker room, to me, need to be the kind of guys that are going to fit into that culture and add to it.

“And so every year, this is an opportunity to do that. The culture of your football team comes from your players, and so that’s a big part of what we’re doing.”

Shortlist of Packers 2025 first round draft pick targets using past trends

Paul Bretl | 4/17/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The 2025 NFL draft is on the horizon, and with that, it’s time for me to once again put together my short list of potential first-round selections for the Packers.

This will be Year 3 of me going through this exercise. In 2023, Lukas Van Ness was on my shortlist, but last year Jordan Morgan was not. He fell off during the age portion of the exercise at 22 years old. Otherwise, he would have made it.

My ultimate goal is to end up with a list of just three to five prospects who the Packers are likely to target with the 23rd pick this year.

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My process for creating this shortlist begins with using a consensus big board to gather all of the prospects who could be available in that range where the Packers are picking. Then, I whittle the list down using previous draft tendencies and thresholds that GM Brian Gutekunst has often adhered to.

Since it is my goal to make this list as small as possible, I strongly adhere to the thresholds and tendencies that are utilized in this exercise. So there are times when a favorite prospect of many has been left off the final list.

Now, the caveat here is that these guidelines and metrics that I am using, while established within the Packers’ draft tendencies under Gutekunst, are not the be-all-end-all by any means either. For example, in the 2022 NFL draft, in the first round, the Packers drafted 24-year-old Devonte Wyatt, whose age was an outlier, and then linebacker Quay Walker, who plays a non-premium position.

This exercise is far from perfect, but with there being a fairly large sample size of first-round picks made by Gutekunst during his GM tenure, through this process, we can make an educated guess when it comes to who truly might be on the Packers’ radar.

The initial list

To begin, I am using the 2025 consensus big board from the NFL mock draft database, which has compiled 164 big boards during this pre-draft process to create these rankings.

To begin shrinking the list–because that’s the goal–I’m not going to include the prospects who are in the consensus top 10, with the thought being that they are not going to be on the board when the Packers are picking. So this list will start with the prospects ranked 11 through 35, to make sure we don’t miss out on anyone due to variations in how the Packers evaluate this class.

Now, one more thing, right off the bat, I am not going to include several positions. Quarterback, running back, safety, and linebacker are not Round 1 needs for the Packers given their current roster outlook, while the interior offensive line is not a position we’ve seen them add to in the first round traditionally. I know Morgan ended up at guard, but he was a tackle in college, and from the sounds of it, will be competing there this summer.

So here is that initial list of prospects:

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
CB Will Johnson, Michigan
OT Kelvin Banks, Texas
CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
DE Mike Green, Marshall
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
IDL Kenneth Grant, Michigan
IDL Derrick Harmon, Oregon
IDL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
DE James Pearce, Tennessee
DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
OT Josh Conerly, Oregon
WR Luther Burden, Missouri
CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky

Relative Athletic Scores

I’ve gone into great detail about the strong connection between RAS and the Packers’ selections under Gutekunst. In short, of Gutekunst’s 64 draft picks, 48 have registered a RAS of 8.0 or higher, with 28 of those prospects scoring above 9.0.

In regards to the first round specifically, seven of Gutekunt’s nine picks have scored over 9.0 on this scale. The only ones who didn’t were Darnell Savage and Jordan Love. So, for this next threshold, any prospects with a RAS below 9.0 were crossed off the list.

“It’s all important,” said Gutekunst last offseason of the pre-draft process. “First and foremost, it’s all important, the medical, everything’s important. At the end of the day, and this goes back for as long as I’ve done this, you go back to the tape and how they play the game. I think whenever there’s discrepancies, whenever you’re not sure, you go back to the tape, and that’s going to be your best predictor of future success is what they’ve done on tape, and that’s kind of what we live by.”

Admittedly, this year compared to others, there are a lot more top prospects without a completed RAS due to a lack of testing. I went back and forth but made the decision not to exclude those players from the list below.

DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
CB Will Johnson, Michigan
WR Luther Burden, Missouri
DE Mike Green, Marshall
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
IDL Derrick Harmon, Oregon
IDL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
DE James Pearce, Tennessee
WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
DE Mykel Williams, Georgia

Prospect’s age

Next, we will take into account a prospect’s age. The Packers have preferred younger, higher-upside players with many of their selections. In previous years, as I alluded to at the start of this, I used 21 years old as the line in the sand for this exercise because six of Gutekunst’s nine first-round picks were that age. The one true outlier was Wyatt at 24 years old, while Eric Stokes and Jordan Morgan were 22.

“I think it’s an individual case,” said Gutekunst at the NFL combine on evaluating experience. “Each guy’s different. Obviously you want them to be ready as fast as they can be, but at the same time it’s a tough league and there’s a development period that’s always going to happen for all these guys.

“So you’re balancing everything from kind of where they’re at now, where you kind of feel their end game is and obviously whatever player we bring in, we want them to get there as fast as we can. But again, it takes time. There’s no shortcut for experience.”

However, this year I’m going to bump that threshold to 22 years old since across the college landscape we are generally seeing older prospects entering the draft than in past years.

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
CB Will Johnson, Michigan
DE Mike Green, Marshall
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
IDL Derrick Harmon, Oregon
IDL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
WR Luther Burden, Missouri
DE James Pearce, Tennessee
WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
DE Mykel Williams, Georgia

Positional thresholds

Within each position group, there have been height and weight thresholds that the Packers have frequently adhered to, many of which go beyond Gutekunst’s tenure as GM.

For offensive tackles, 33-inch arms have been a pretty hard and fast rule for the Packers. At cornerback and wide receiver, the Packers prefer bigger-bodied prospects. With corners, generally 5-11 and 190 pounds is the minimum, while at receiver, it’s been 6-0 – 200 pounds, although we saw Gutekunst recently deviate from that when he selected Jayden Reed, so we will provide a bit of leniency. Then, at defensive end, Gutekunst prefers size there to hold up against the run, so we used 255 pounds as that threshold.

I hate to eliminate Hairston, but even though he may have weighed in heavier at his pro day, he’s listed everywhere at 183 after the NFL combine, and given that my intent is to narrow this list down, I don’t want to operate in the grey. At 183 pounds, that is well below what Gutekunst has drafted at cornerback.

“You know me. I’d love all those guys to be 6-3 1/2 and 220. I’d love that,” Gutekunst said of the cornerback position at the NFL combine. “I do think with what Jeff’s trying to do, there’s a lot more vision and awareness and instincts out there than maybe we’ve played with in the past.”

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
WR Luther Burden, Missouri
DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
CB Will Johnson, Michigan
OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
IDL Derrick Harmon, Oregon
IDL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Senior Bowl and 30 visits

Lastly, Gutekunst’s recent drafts have been very Senior Bowl heavy. Over the last three years, 18 of the Packers’ 35 total draft picks have participated in that event. Official 30 visits have provided us with some insight as well, with 21 of the 90 prospects whom the Packers have hosted from 2022-2024 ending up on the team in some capacity.

Below are the prospects who have either been in for an official 30 visit or participated in this year’s Senior Bowl.

“It’s very important for us,” said Brian Gutekunst following the 2024 draft about the Senior Bowl. “We put a lot of time into it, and like I said, their staff down there in Mobile, they do such a good job getting us to spots where we can really evaluate these guys. We’re very appreciative of that. It’s certainly not by design, but I know we’ve taken a lot of Senior Bowl guys over the years.”

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
IDL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State

To take this one step further because I want the list smaller, I’m going to be that guy and say that McMillan won’t be on the board when the Packers are picking and with Morgan, Rasheed Walker, and Zach Tom on the roster, I don’t think that offensive tackle is in play in Round 1, so I’ll cross off Josh Simmons as well, which leaves me with my final list:

DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
IDL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Packers re-sign John FitzPatrick; what does it mean for TE position?

Paul Bretl | 4/14/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers announced on Monday that they have re-signed tight end John FitzPatrick.

FitzPatrick was originally a restricted free agent this offseason with three accrued NFL seasons. However, when the Packers non-tendered him, he became an unrestricted free agent and was free to sign with any team, but instead made his way back to the Packers.

After Luke Musgrave was placed on injured reserve prior to Week 5, the Packers signed FitzPatrick to their 53-man roster off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.

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FitzPatrick was a sixth-round pick by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL draft out of Georgia and played 18 offensive snaps during his second NFL season in 2023, along with 83 special teams snaps that year as well.

“A guy that can do it all,” said FitzPatrick’s college teammate Javon Bullard. “A guy that is not afraid to stick his face in the run game. A guy that is reliable in the passing game. Just a guy that is going to do his job to the best of his ability. A guy that you can count on for minimal mistakes. A guy that doesn’t make too many mistakes.”

With the Packers, FitzPatrick was frequently the third tight end on the depth chart behind Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims, while Musgrave was sidelined. In total, he played 73 offensive snaps for the Packers from Week 8 through the NFC Wildcard round, and at 6-7 – 250 pounds, he was utilized mostly as a blocker. FitzPatrick was also on the field for 60 special teams snaps, most of which came on the kick return unit.

“He’s a talented player, he’s smart, he’s quiet, but he’s done a nice job, and these guys have to be Swiss army knives a lot,” said tight ends coach John Dunn late in the season. “You’ve got to learn to play in our system. There’s a Y and there’s an F when there are two tight ends on the field, and the motions, just all the things sometimes even before the ball is snapped, just learning those things and the timing and all that stuff, and he’s been a pro and he’s worked hard at it.

“He’s picked up the offense nicely, fits in the room great, and he’s a pro and he’s working to get better every day. Another young guy who’s trying to improve on technique and just continue to get better.”

The addition of FitzPatrick strengthens the depth of the tight end room for the Packers. He rejoins Kraft, Musgrave, and Sims, along with Messiah Swinson and Johnny Lumpkin, both of whom spent time on the practice squad last season.

The tight end position group is going to run through Kraft and Musgrave, but an area of opportunity for the others on the roster, including FitzPatrick, is to further elevate their play in the running game as blockers. While PFF’s grading system isn’t the be-all-end-all, Ben Sims ranked 59th out of 80 tight ends in run-blocking grade, while FitzPatrick didn’t get enough opportunities to qualify.

If accomplished, whether that more reliable blocking presence comes from Musgrave, FitzPatrick, or Sims, having that element could provide Kraft with more opportunities to be featured in the passing game. Re-signing FitzPatrick can hopefully help elevate the competition on the roster for that third spot on the tight end depth chart.

“I think Georgia a big thing is if you’re willing to block, you’re going to find your way onto the field, and that’s what I learned early from some older guys in the room,” said FitzPatrick after arriving in Green Bay last season. “From there, just really honed in on that and wanted to get on the field, obviously, so I honed in on that and it created some opportunities for me.

“I’m never going to say I’m great at blocking or it’s my strong suit. I’m working on it every single day. There’s always something you can be better at within a block, specifically, or just any type of block.”

A big year ahead for Packers DE Lukas Van Ness who looks to build off late season push

Paul Bretl | 4/10/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Perhaps an early-round addition in the NFL draft can provide the Packers with the added pass rush consistency that they need. However, the larger part of that ‘improved-play’ equation is likely going to have to be more steady and impactful play from those already on the roster.

For a defensive front that struggled to produce against the NFC’s best, and overall, ranked 26th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric, everyone has to be better. But among those who need to take the biggest step forward in 2025 is Lukas Van Ness.

“I think sitting here on April 8 and looking into the season,” Van Ness said prior to leaving for the Packers’ Tailgate Tour, “this is obviously the most important one as it’s the next one ahead.

“Again, this is my job. I love what I do, I love playing football. My goal every single day is to come to work and put that effort in, and then, ultimately, put the best product on the field on Sundays.”

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In his second NFL season in 2024 and in a Jeff Hafley defense where the defensive front was supposed to have the freedom to pin its ears back, we didn’t see Van Ness take that sophomore leap that so many successful NFL players make.

But instead, Van Ness finished the season with a modest 22 pressures–only two more than he had as a rookie–and three sacks, which was one fewer than he had in 2023. For some context, among all defensive ends, Van Ness ranked 90th in pressures. As the pressure numbers indicate, the consistency wasn’t there with ranking 78th in pass rush win rate as well, according to PFF.

“I think this next step going into next year is not only for myself for this team,” Van Ness said, “but just continue to play hard together, play four consistent quarters of football. Ultimately, if we can do that together, we’ll do pretty well.”

When the Packers drafted Van Ness in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, it was known that he was a bit of a raw defensive end prospect, having played fewer than 1,000 defensive snaps at Iowa with the majority of them coming at the defensive tackle position.

The upside and physical traits were too good for GM Brian Gutekunst to pass on, but it was known that time and reps were needed. At the NFL level, having a pass rush plan is a must because a defender can’t just run through every offensive tackle. So when a pass rusher’s initial move is taken away, what’s Plan B? How do you counter?

Improvement in this facet of the pass rush game specifically can be a catalyst in helping Van Ness take his game to the next level.

While Van Ness’ overall production last season certainly doesn’t leap off the stat sheet, he did start to build momentum over the second half of the season. Of his 22 pressures, 13 of them came from Weeks 12 through 18. He also showcased more consistency, ranking 27th in win rate during that span, and he was 19th in pass rush productivity, meaning that he took advantage of and finished the pass rush reps he had.

“It’s important for all our guys, including Lukas,” said GM Brian Gutekunst at the NFL combine when asked if it’s an important season for Van Ness. “Again, we talked a little bit about we need to affect the quarterback more in our front four, with just four players, and Lukas is a big part of that. He does everything he can. He’s everything you want in a professional as far as his work ethic and what he puts into it, and I expect him to take a big jump this year.”

Going beyond the production, however, a potential turning point for Van Ness last season and something that truly showcases his growth as a player at the NFL level came in Week 12 against San Francisco. In that game, Van Ness caused a forced fumble, but that result is not what’s noteworthy. Instead, it’s the process to get to that point.

In the locker room afterward, Rashan Gary mentioned that a few series prior to the fumble, Van Ness had noticed something in how the offensive line was blocking off of play-action and how the defensive front should then attack it. Then when San Francisco presented that look again, Van Ness knew exactly how to respond and took advantage.

“Man it was a great,” said Gary of the play. “A couple series back, Lukas was saying if he gives me the play-action, if we get it, just shoot up field and it was crazy because the play out there was the same play he was getting a couple series ago.

“So it actually showed how locked in he is, and we locked in and you see the formation, you pull the trigger and when you pull the trigger big plays happen and we needed it.”

This will be the first time since Van Ness’ final season at Iowa that he will have been in the same defensive system for consecutive years. That important component coupled with the foundation he seemingly began to establish during the second half of last season will need to result in him–and the rest of the defensive line–making a bigger impact in 2025.

As Gutekunst said earlier this offseason, if the Packers are going to accomplish the goals that they have, they need more consistency from the pass rush, and of course, Van Ness is going to be a big part of making that happen.

“I think we have a great group,” Van Ness added. “Whether we take two guys (or) we take nobody, I think we’re all going to come to work every day, we’re going to compete against each other for our spots, and we’re going to work hard. I love the guys we have in our room. I think we’re all hard-working, we love the game of football, and I’m excited to see what we can do together.”

Do passing game woes lead to Packers ending first round WR drought?

Paul Bretl | 4/9/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Is this the year that the Packers finally take a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft? A few of the prospects that Green Bay has had in for official 30 visits tell us that it is at least on their radar.

As we all know, the Packers haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round since the team selected Javon Walker out of Florida State back in 2002. While that’s how things have played out, it’s of course not intentional on the Packers’ part.

“It’s funny,” said GM Brian Gutekunst back at the NFL combine, “it’s never been a philosophical thing we’ve talked about through my time in Green Bay, which goes back quite a while. It’s never been something, where, hey don’t want to take wide receivers in the first round. There’s certainly opportunities we’ve had that we thought that was going to happen and for whatever reason it didn’t.”

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As of now, it’s been reported that Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden and Ohio State wideout Emeka Egbuka have visited with the Packers. Golden seems pretty well cemented into being a first-round selection, while Egbuka could go in the latter portion of the first round or potentially early on in the second round.

Golden will bring speed to an offense. Measuring in at 5-11 and weighing 191 pounds, he posted a 4.3-second 40 time. The 2024 season was Golden’s first at Texas after spending two seasons at Houston, where he was also featured in that offense.

In this most recent season, Golden was very reliable, catching 70% of his 83 targets while averaging a whopping 17.0 yards per catch with nine touchdowns, per PFF. With that speed, Golden had 22 targets of 20-plus yards, and that downfield presence is an element the Packers need to have while without Christian Watson.

However, Golden’s target share was spread around, with him regularly attacking all levels of the field. That ability, coupled with lining up both inside and out makes him a good fit for the Matt LaFleur offense, where the wide receiver roles can often be interchangeable.

“The one-on-one routes to the boundary, I can get open to the boundary,” Golden said. “I can change my tempo, my speeds and be able to snap down and comeback to the quarterback. I can stretch the field vertically. I also like to be in the run game. I take a lot of pride in blocking.”

Egbuka, meanwhile, doesn’t have the same athletic testing numbers that Golden does, but he comes to the NFL extremely polished and has good size at 6-0 – 202 pounds. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com notes Egbuka’s ball skills and calls him “competitive” and someone who can “squeeze out additional yardage.”

Egbuka has been a big part of the Ohio State offense for three seasons. This includes eclipsing 100 targets in two of those seasons and going over 1,000 receiving yards in each of those years as well.

The bulk of his playing time has come from the slot, but at his size and with his ball skills, he does potentially have the skill set to line up outside as well, which will be important for the Packers.

Last season, roughly two-thirds of Egbuka’s targets came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, where he then ranked 32nd among eligible receivers in average YAC per reception.

“He’d be a great fit for somebody that wants plug and play, for a team that’s ready to win right now,” Daniel Jeremiah said during a pre-Scouting Combine conference call.

With the Packers’ passing game sputtering late last season, the team is in search of more consistency from the wide receiver position heading into the new year.

Dropped passes throughout the 2024 season were an issue for this team. In addition to that, LaFleur mentioned after the Week 17 loss to Minnesota, against the Vikings’ unexpected heavy usage of man coverage, the Packers didn’t win their routes consistently enough or quickly enough. Then in the playoff loss to Philadelphia, LaFleur brought up that on two of the interceptions thrown by Jordan Love, receivers weren’t running their routes with the proper detail that was needed to put them in the proper positions.

These are just a few examples–but big examples in crucial games–of things that went awry over a long NFL season. But, to a degree, these performances also seemed to be a microcosm of what we saw from the receiver position on and off during the year.

“You’d like to have somebody move into that space,” Gutekunst said of having a No. 1 receiver, “but, at the same time, I’d like multiple guys to be able to move into that space. What I’m looking for is guys that, when they’re called upon, can perform at a high level. I think we have a lot of guys that have done that.”

Of course, spending a first-round pick on a receiver doesn’t mean the passing game is solved and the Packers now have their go-to WR1. Maybe Golden or Egbuka can be that player, but assuming that is going to happen comes with obvious risks.

Also, it’s not as if the Packers’ current receiver room is void of talent either. Improved play is needed, certainly, but Green Bay believes they already have several candidates on the roster who can be that go-to target in crucial moments.

And, not to be forgotten in all of this, when it comes to operating within the LaFleur offense and at the NFL level in general, the third and fourth-year receivers that the Packers have on the roster already are–at least initially–going to be ahead of any incoming rookies.

“I think we’re certainly looking for these guys that we have currently to take a step into that role where they are more consistent on the down-down basis,” Gutekunst said of the receiver position after the season. “Certainly, if there’s somebody outside of our building, whether it’s the draft, free agency, that makes some sense for us, we’ll certainly look to do that, but we’re also looking for these guys to continue to grow and hopefully grow into that space.”

So, instead of waiting for WR1 to just walk through the doors, the catalyst for improved play is still likely going to have to be competition, which Golden or Egbuka, if the Packers go that route, can very much add. This will help raise the level of urgency within that room, whether it be competing for a roster spot, playing time, or targets, and in turn, that then hopefully elevates the entire room as a whole, and provides that consistency.

Nate Hobbs, Aaron Banks schematic fits highlight why Packers prioritized free agent signings

Paul Bretl | 4/8/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — I’m going to guess that free agency for the Packers didn’t play out how many had expected or hoped.

Instead of landing that true No. 1 wide out in free agency or via trade, the only addition at the receiver position was Mecole Hardman on a one-year prove-it deal. At pass rusher, no signings have been made up to this point.

Even when it came to the two big contracts that the Packers did hand out, Nate Hobbs and Aaron Banks weren’t among the often talked about free agents that were available. Along those lines, when it comes to Banks’ position as an offensive lineman, that wasn’t one of the big perceived needs on the outside.

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Ultimately, until games are played and we see how the season unfolds for Hobbs and Banks, we won’t truly know what level of impact they can have. So, for the time being, all we have to go off of is what these players have done in the past, while seeing the big free agent names that were available sign elsewhere, as receiver and pass rusher remain needs for Green Bay, which I imagine, only fuels any frustration that may exist among fans.

However, with that said, while perhaps not obvious initially, one can also see the vision that the Packers have with these two additions. Although signing Hobbs and Banks may fall more so into the ‘under-the-radar’ category, their fits skill set-wise and schematically with what the Packers want to accomplish can help further elevate their own play, and therefore the play of the offensive and defensive units for Green Bay as well.

Hobbs had primarily been a nickel cornerback with the Las Vegas Raiders the last few seasons, but he has experience on the boundary, and the Packers believe he has the ability to play both.

“We just really thought he’s a really versatile all-around corner, can do everything,” GM Brian Gutekunst said at the NFL league meetings. “We really like his ability to play on the outside, which he hasn’t done a ton of, but the ability to move him inside and match different receivers, and his play style I think is one of the things that really stood out to all of us. Really, really excited to see what he’s going to do for us this year.”

That versatility that Hobbs brings to the Packers is already a prominent element throughout the secondary and is a factor that can further enhance the Jeff Hafley defense.

Like Hobbs, Keisean Nixon can play both inside and out at the drop of a hat if needed. Javon Bullard can handle nickel or safety duties, helping out in the run game, blitzing, or the various coverage responsibilities that come with each role.

Green Bay also believes Evan Williams can take on a variety of responsibilities at the second and third levels, which was a factor in their decision to draft him last April. And we all know Xavier McKinney brings a do-it-all presence to the safety position.

“We got some of these young guys who give us the versatility to move people around and get creative,” Hafley said last season prior to the Houston game in Week 7. “As you start to see each week, if you turn us on and really watch us, there’s something a little bit new every single week and it’s kind of talked about. We gotta build and build and build and find what we’re good at, who’s good at what and really start to roll.”

Versatility helps a team navigate any potential injuries that may occur during the course of the NFL season. But, from a schematic perspective, it can put a lot on the plate of an opposing offense as it allows the defense to be extremely malleable.

From a preparation standpoint for opposing offenses, there’s a lot to watch and be ready for throughout the week when the defense is putting a variety of looks on tape. Then pre-snap, quarterbacks won’t as easily get a beat on what’s coming based solely on where defenders are lined up because it’s either a different look or where players are aligned or what role they have on a given play could change once the ball is snapped.

While Hafley has his core defensive principles that he has built his scheme around like any offensive or defensive play-caller, his playbook is ever-evolving as well–adapting and adjusting weekly to what the opponent is doing, what Hafley wants to prioritize taking away from the offense, and also what skill sets he has on the roster in order to maximize those abilities.

However, in order for Hafley to have that ability, versatility is the straw that stirs the drink. It’s not only about the individual skill sets on a roster; more importantly, it’s about how all the players and those skill sets work together in unison. When operating as a cohesive and interchangeable unit, that’s when defenses can really level up.

 “I think it’s about adapting,” Hafley said last season. “I’ve said this since I got here, it’s not like, ‘Hey, here’s the playbook. This is in. Go run the defense.’ It’s each week, what did we look like? What do we look like when they watch us on tape? What can we do a little bit different to counter that? What do we do really well?

“Let’s do more of it, make it look different. And then as we start to see certain players do certain things, how can we best use them to improve? We have to keep getting better. That’s the whole key to this whole entire thing as we go. Any way that we can adapt and get better, both coaching, playing, scheme, personnel, it’s not just like plug and play. Let’s evolve. I think that’s very important.”

On the offensive side of the ball with Banks, that addition helped shore up the starting offensive line unit after Josh Myers parted in free agency. It also affords the Packers additional flexibility to have Jordan Morgan compete at not only right guard, but at left tackle, which is what the plan appears to be this summer.

But in addition to that, the strength of Banks’ game during his career has been as a run-blocker, which includes operating within the gap, power running scheme–which we saw a lot more of from the Packers last season with Josh Jacobs–along with Banks’ movement abilities, and all of that can really help elevate the run game.

“Obviously a really large man that can do all the things that Matt asks those guys to do in our scheme as far as our ability to get off the ball quickly, get out in space and really run,” said Gutekunst of Banks.

“Again, this isn’t a 295-pound man. This is a 330-pound man. His ability to play physical in the run game and anchor down in the pass pro is something where he’s played at a high level for a few years now, and to get a guy like that really in the prime of his career is something I thought would really benefit us.”

As stout as the Packers’ rushing attack was last season, an area of growth for this group is in generating explosive plays. Last season, Jacobs would rank 32nd in PFF’s breakaway rate, which measures how often a ball carrier generated a run of 15-plus yards.

We saw a shift last season from the Packers to being a more run-centric offense, and that does not appear to be going away. But in order to maximize that, and truly lean into that facet, more big plays are needed. Runs of four, five, or six yards are great and keep an offense ahead of the sticks, but explosive plays put up points.

At this time of the offseason, all we have to go off of is what the offense looks like on paper. But from a running game perspective in that regard, the Packers certainly look like an improved team compared to last year, with Banks at left guard and Elgton Jenkins at center.

“You try to avoid the comparisons on a year-to-year basis, but I’m excited about the group that we have coming in,” LaFleur said of the offensive line. “It’s going to take a lot of work, that’s the bottom line. Every season’s a new season, and you can’t take anything for granted. We’re excited about Banks coming in and then moving Elgton back to center. We feel like we have a lot of pieces.”

As was discussed recently, urgency comes in many forms. Just because the outside perspective of what must be done doesn’t align with how the Packers operated internally does not mean that urgency didn’t exist–it was different.

The Packers clearly thought that addressing the offensive line was an urgent matter, and I think we can all agree that with the uncertainty around Jaire Alexander’s future with the team, cornerback was a much more pressing need prior to free agency than what wide receiver and pass rusher were.

Hobbs and Banks aren’t wide receivers or defensive ends, and neither was the top free agent available within their respective position groups, but in terms of what the Packers want to accomplish on both sides of the ball schematically, they each fit quite well, and that can, in turn, elevate the level of play throughout the team.

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