Somehow the NFL preseason is barely a month away. Annual power ranking season is already here. Earning the Green Bay Packers a berth at no. 6, their offseason team-building and growth potential impressed ESPN analysts Mines Kimes and Ryan Clark (who apparently still exists despite his infamous tiff with Robert Griffin III). They see a lot to like ahead of next season, alongside one crucial Quay Walker uncertainty.
Year 3 Jordan Love, Young Receiver Play Underpin Enthusiasm for Upcoming Year
The Packers didn’t have a noisy offseason, but they added proficiently around the edges. No Tee Higgins, no Chris Godwin, but the receiver room is taking fine shape. Clark elected Green Bay over the Bengals for 6th on the list, one spot behind the Lions.
“I think when you look at what they were able to do, adding [Matthew] Golden, adding [Savion] Williams in the third round, picking up Mecole Hardman in free agency….” It all adds up to a nifty group of targets for Jordan Love to throw to.
About the Packers QB, Clark reiterated a frequent observation on his second year as a starter and what it means moving forward. “Does Jordan Love make that jump to the elite? That was the question after two seasons ago because of how well he played down the stretch, and I felt like with him, with his injury, he didn’t necessarily take that step [last year].”
A healthy Love in in year three could be a very scary thing for opposing defenses. His arm is already enough of a threat as is.
Coaching on both sides of the ball is another Packers strong suit. Clark loves how head coach Matt LaFleur handled the offense last season, citing his “deception and creativity in the run game, and the ways that he utilized Josh Jacobs.” Love, Jacobs, Golden – it’s an exciting group to root for.
In his debut as coordinator, Jeff Hafley also upheld a surprisingly good defense, maximizing a pass rush unit without elite talent. Safety Xavier McKinney is All-Pro. Per Clark, ’24 rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is “a monster.” The team has Jaire Alexander off its back. “They got a lot of young talent on that side of the ball,” Kimes said.
Green Bay Packers Must Flip Quay Walker Switch
Clark does have one issue with Hafley’s crew:
I think they have to get more out of Quay Walker. I saw recently they were talking about extending him…there’s sometimes to me that he looks lost on the field. That he doesn’t quite have a place to fit. But when you look at him – long arms, rangy, can get sideline to sideline – it feels like he’s supposed to be one of those guys. And I just haven’t seen it.
Heading into his fourth season, it’s fair to say that the 25-year-old linebacker has yet to realize his potential. He took a step back, if anything, in 2024, ranked 128th of 189 at his position by PFF grade. Due to injury, he played a career-low 13 games but once again cleared 100 tackles. The base-level production is there; he has the physical gifts. A beast lurks within Walker; Hafley & Co. just have to unleash it.
Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Vikings clocked in at no. 14, the Bears at no. 18. Behind the top-rated Eagles and then Detroit, Green Bay ranked third in the NFC. Balanced on either side of the ball, with a solid floor and tantalizing if-things-go-right ceiling, the Packers have an exciting season ahead.
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