The Green Bay Packers left the 2025 NFL Draft with some attractive talent and a lot of excitement. After hosting the event in Wisconsin, the Packers appeared to have a strong incoming rookie class headlined by 1st-round wide receiver Matthew Golden. With Green Bay now having been eliminated from the 2026 NFL Playoffs, a retrospective gaze at the Packers rookie class reveals that it was one of the least productive classes across the league.
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Green Bay Packers Rookie Class Significantly Underwhelms in 2025-26
The Green Bay Packers had an exciting draft, with many fans being very excited by the additions of multiple talented players. No one drew more hype than 1st-round receiver Matthew Golden, as the Texas Longhorns product became the first wideout chosen by the team in the first round since 2002.
Golden came in with high expectations, adding to the receiver room that lacked a true top-tier player. Third-round receiver Savion Williams also joined Golden as a new playmaker for quarterback Jordan Love. 2nd-round linemen Anthony Belton was the other important addition to the offense.
The Packers got strong draft grades after their performance in April. ESPN gave Green Bay a B for addressing their most important positions in wideout and defensive line. Fox Sports similarly gave them a B. NFL.com gave the Packers an A- and anticipated Green Bay had added multiple big contributors to the team.
Flash-forward to January 2026, and it would seem Green Bay had one of the most underwhelming classes in the entire NFL.
Green Bay’s Hyped Rookie Class Fails to Produce in Debut Season
Despite the hype, Golden had just 29 catches for 361 yards in the regular season. Although there are plenty of positives to see in the advanced stats, especially in terms of average separation, Golden did not make his mark in the way many fans thought he would. One bright spot would be that he had arguably his most productive day on Wild Card Saturday against Chicago, hauling in 4 grabs for 84 yards and his first touchdown.
Williams had 115 scrimmage yards on 21 touches, one of which turned into a lost fumble. He was a contributor on special teams as a kick returner. Belton started 7 games and was nothing special.
Defensively, the Packers got contributions from 4th-round linebacker Barryn Sorrell, 6th-round linemen Warren Brinson, and undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse. However, none of them were high-level contributors, instead just serving as depth pieces for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Despite the underwhelming nature of the on-paper production, it doesn’t mean that Green Bay had one of the worst drafts or failed to add any “good” players. Fans should expect Golden to live up to his billing in time. Belton is set to become a solid depth piece at multiple positions, which is an underrated quality. Brinson and Stackhouse being rotational interior players is decent value given their draft position/undrafted nature. Sorrell really came on strong late in the season and should be set for a bigger role next year.
In a few years, Green Bay’s class is more likely to turn out solid than poor or below average. But for now, none of the team’s rookies have been able to impact the team to a significant extent.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Green Bay is hellbent on getting back to the Super Bowl, evidenced by the big swing for Micah Parsons in the offseason. With Jordan Love having possibly his best season, the team’s championship window should be open for a couple more seasons. This means that the 2025 Draft class will need to find their footing quickly in the following two years.
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