The Green Bay Packers have one of the most important drafts the team will ever have coming up on their horizon. Given the position of where the team and, particularly, it’s young quarterback Jordan Love is standing at right now, this draft is arguably do-or-die.
If most picks are hits, the team has a realistic shot of winning a Super Bowl within the next 3 years. If there’s too many misses, the team may look back at this draft years later and claim it to be the reason Love never got a ring.
The good news is that there’s too much talent for any team to squander. Some drafts are devoid of talent, but that definitely isn’t the case this year. While the QB class might be overblown, there’s still potential for one or multiple of these guys to be elite Hall of Famers. There’s a lot of wide receivers and offensive line talent in the first round, and there’s underrated talent at all positions in the mid rounds.
If the Packers go by best player available and not need, they can absolutely take another step towards a championship this year. Here’s what that draft class could hypothetically look like.
R1 P25 – OT Troy Fautanu (Washington)
While the rest of this list is purely BPA, this pick is a mix between BPA and team need. The Packers absolutely need a starting tackle from this draft. Unfortunately, most of the high-end OL talent will be gone by this point, most likely including Amarius Mims (who many pundits have the Packers taking).
While Green Bay could go after a few players who seemingly are better than Troy, the Washington tackle is pretty good overall. He helped keep Michael Penix Jr upright enough to make it to the final round of the CFP. He’s agile and athletic, though might lack the strength to dominate at the NFL level. Still, he’ll certainly add to the pass blocking side of things for sure, and will make for a good David Bahktiari replacement.
R2 P42 – S Tyler Nubin (Minnesota)
This pick would also be technically drafting for need, but make no mistake about it – Nubin would be the best player available if he falls to the 42nd pick.
Tyler is a ball hawk who should play at free safety, but it comes down to where Xavier McKinney plays. Both are good in deep zone and in the box, but Nubin is better at getting picks and freestyling than Xavier.
R2 P58 – RB Trey Benson (FSU)
Some fans might believe that Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon is enough, but getting Benson even a little higher than he’s projected would secure the running back room for the near future. Benson is a good all-around running back who can play better in the passing game than Jacobs.
R3 P88 – WR Brenden Rice (USC)
Rice is the perfect Packers receiver. Big, not the fastest but can do everything else. His dad was one of the smartest receivers ever, so his football IQ is expected be high. Saying he’ll be Jerry Rice 2.0 is a stretch, but he truly has the value of a 2nd round receiver who will fall for whatever reason. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs on the outside with Rice playing slot is a QB’s dream.
R4 P126 – EDGE Muhamad Kamara (Colorado St)
Kamara is starting to get the attention someone with 13 sacks deserves. Not related to Alvin (as far as we know), Muhamad will thrive as a rotational edge rusher, especially on 3rd and longs. Think Haason Reddick.
R5 P168 – CB Dwight McGlothern (Arkansas)
A solid piece to round out Jeff Hafley’s secondary. If the team gets another CB in free agency, this might just be one of the best secondaries in the league.
R6 P202 – DL Zion Logie (Georgia)
A nice, big guy to develop behind Delonte Wyatt.
R7 P219 – EDGE Jalen Green (James Madison)
R7 P245 – QB Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland)
R7 P255 – RB Audric Estime (Notre Dame)