The End of an Era
With the Aaron Rodgers Era now officially over in Green Bay, the Packers face an unclear future but, if their draft this year is any indication, they appear to be willing to face that uncertainty in a proactive manner. Make no mistake, because the Green Bay management are not deluding themselves otherwise either, this is a team in the early years of a full rebuild. How far along they are in that process is up for debate but, once the team drafted Jordan Love in 2020, the fuse was lit. The Packers have been steadily putting the pieces in place to be ready for Love to take over the team, using no less than eight picks since he was selected to bolster the offensive line and another six picks on wide receivers. In fact, as mind-blowing as this sounds, not one wide receiver currently on the roster has more than one season of NFL experience. Put another way, every single wide receiver joined the team after Love did. This is, truly, an offense that was built for this inevitability.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 11: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) looks to pass during an NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers on September 11, 2022 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)
Who did the Green Bay Packers draft?
However, the job was not, and even no is still not, complete. Nonetheless, despite the clear offensive rebuild underway in Green Bay, the Packers opted to open their draft on the opposite side of the ball selecting defensive end Lukas Van Ness – Iowa with the 13th overall pick. Van Ness was absolutely worth a first-round pick, but I feel that the Packers may have been a touch off the mark in making this selection. Again, I want to stress this is less a reflection on Van Ness and more on him being selected at the point he was in the draft and by the team that made the selection.
First, despite what Packer pundits and fans will tell you, the fit between Van Ness and the style of defense that Green Bay runs is less than ideal. One caveat here, that statement rings true if he is to be used how he generally was used through college, as an edge rusher. If he is, indeed, used as an edge rusher by the Packers, he will be expected to drop into coverage frequently, as well as rushing the passer. However, if they leverage his skills as an interior defensive lineman, a role he found significant success in when Iowa utilized him in such a capacity, it is here that he could thrive and provide the Packers the most bang for their buck.
Second, if Green Bay did select Van Ness to be an edge rusher, there were several options on the board at the 13th pick that would have been a better stylistic fit for the team. Primary among those players were Nolan Smith – Georgia who end up falling to the Eagles with the 30th overall pick. The Packers easily could have, and frankly should have, traded down to gain more value while still picking up an edge rusher that would be a better fit. Even if they traded out of the first round entirely, they could have still found a better fit for their edge rushing needs by selecting BJ Ojulari – LSU. As I stated earlier, Van Ness deserved to be a first-round selection, just later in the round.
Jonathan Ford and Lukas Van Ness pic.twitter.com/6yUVsRMmVs
— Paul Bretl (@Paul_Bretl) June 14, 2023
Day Two found Green Bay further leaning into their offensive rebuild starting with the 42nd overall pick as they targeted tight end Luke Musgrave – Oregon State. While I was a bit on the fence about the Van Ness selection, this pick was exceptional. In The ORANGE Report I identified Musgrave as a somewhat under the radar option at tight end that many were overlooking due to a knee injury he suffered last year which cost him all but the first two games of the season. With Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis both departing in the offseason, the Packers had an immediate need to address at the position and by selecting Musgrave they now have a tight end that possesses some of the top speed at the position in this draft class. He will be very difficult for defenses to contend with when he attacks the middle of the field. If you are looking for a tight end to compare him to, the first player that immediately springs to mind is Mike Gesicki, a player that can attack the seam with dangerous speed and a huge frame to box out smaller defenders. The league is officially on notice.
With their second pick of Day Two, the Packers added another offensive weapon for Love as they selected wide receiver Jayden Reed – Michigan State with the 50th overall pick. One thing that Rodgers did upon his exit from Green Bay was to recruit several of his former teammates. Two such players were two-thirds of his starting wide receiver corps last season, Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard. With the departure of Cobb specifically, Reed is all but certain to step into the slot receiver role Cobb held last season. Reed was another prospect that I was very fond of prior to the draft, however, I felt he might be more of a Day Three player. In this instance, I like the fit with Green Bay so I am a bit less critical of this pick than I was with Van Ness. When paired with Musgrave, the Packers will now be very dangerous in the middle of the field, especially when attacking downfield. This is a welcome pick, albeit a bit surprising.
With their third and final pick of Day Two, Green Bay doubled down on the tight end position as they selected Tucker Kraft – South Dakota State with the 78th overall selection. The focus on tight end so early and often, while needed, was an intriguing strategy employed by the Packers. A small school prospect, Kraft figures to be more of a blocking option immediately while Musgrave is likely to be more involved in the passing attack as a receiver, or at least more targeted. Tucker does figure to also have a healthy involvement in the passing offense though as last season Green Bay lined up with two tight ends in the formation on 29 percent of all plays, the second most in the league. This implies that Kraft, despite some heavy blocking duties likely in his future, will not be totally ignored as a receiver either. With this selection it is worth noting that not only will Love be surrounded by rookie and second-year wide receivers, now too he will be targeting and protected by rookie tight ends as well.
What were the Green Bay Packers day three draft picks?
Day Three featured an eye-popping nine selections including defensive tackle Colby Wooden – Auburn (pick 116), quarterback Sean Clifford – Penn State (pick 149), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks – Virginia (pick 159), defensive tackle Karl Brooks – Bowling Green (pick 179), kicker Anders Carlson – Auburn (pick 207), cornerback Carrington Valentine (pick 232), running back Lew Nichols III – Central Michigan (pick 235), safety Anthony Johnson Jr. – Iowa State (pick 242), and wide receiver Grant DuBose – Charlotte (pick 256).
I would be less than truthful if I said that most, or even half, of those picks made much sense to me from a value standpoint as easily half of those players likely would have been available as undrafted free agents following the last pick of the draft. Green Bay did find solid value in Wicks and Valentine however, as Wicks could very well see some immediate snaps in four wide receiver sets as the fourth option and could possibly challenge Romeo Doubs for snaps as well, and Valentine could work into nickel and dime packages as an extra defensive back. I could also see a case made for Carlson being a value as he will immediately become the starting kicker, but kickers tend to be obtained through various means outside of the draft. Beyond that, many of the players drafted in Day Three figure to be deeper depth selections.
What grade did the Green Bay Packers get on their draft?
As we near the competition of the Rough Draft/Final Draft series, Green Bay strikes me as one of the more puzzling drafts of all the teams examined thus far. The Packers appeared to have a clear strategy as it relates to the offensive side of the ball but all else felt random and, dare I say, poorly planned. The lack of a clear strategy, beyond finding more weapons for Love, definitely lowered my grade for the team as it related to both their short and long-term values. The grade I gave them for their short-term value was a B+, buoyed only by their exceptional Day Two selections. All three players drafted on the second day should have impressive rookie campaigns, as well as above average NFL careers. Green Bay fell noticeably short in terms of their ability to identify long-term value as their Day Three selections felt as if they set their draft to the NFL equivalent of a fantasy auto-draft, choosing several players that I feel may not be with the team on Week One, to say nothing of being with the team this time next season. For this, Green Bay get a B- in terms of long-term value. For such a storied franchise, I am more than a bit surprised that this is how they introduced the world to the Jordan Love Era. I just hope this is not a sign of what we are to expect going forward.
