As playoff begins to wrap up, all eyes will start to turn to the NFL’s next big even: The 2023 NFL Draft. After this weekend there will be just two teams left who will be unsure of where they will be picking, either 31st or 32nd. It’s been 3 weeks since Green Bay cemented their first-round slot at 15, and while it might be still early, here are the 3 positions the Pack should attack in this springs draft class.
1. Tight End
Mercedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan and Tyler Davis are all set to hit free agency this spring. While the return of Lewis and Tonyan might be contingent on the return of Rodgers to the team, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Green Bay go younger in the draft. Michael Mayer of Notre Dame and Brock Bowers of Georgia are two names to watch at pick 15. Utah’s Dalton Kincaid is day two target Green Bay could go after as well. Any of these 3 options would provide the stretch-the-field tight end Rodgers (or Love…) needs in this offense.
2. Safety
The talk of the 2022 offseason was all about the revamped Joe Barry defense. Needless to say it was a disappointing effort across the board on the defensive side, and while majority of positions can expect to return key players, the safety spot could look significantly different. Safeties Adrian Amos, Dallin Leavitt, Rudy Ford and cornerback Keisan Nixon will all be on the market in March. Returning starter Darnell Savage has struggled at times at safety, and saw more playing time in the slot as the season went on. Alabama’s Brain Branch is a top-10 prospect in this draft, that could hear his named called at 15. Illinois’s Sydney Brown and Brian Branch’s teammate Jordan Battle are second to third round options as well.
3. Offensive Line
While Gutekunst has drafted multiple O-linemen the last several drafts., there are question marks going into next season about the quality of play of the unit as a whole. Bakhtiari played well after is long awaited return from his knee injury, but how many more seasons will that knee hold up? Royce Newman struggled at both right guard and right tackle, Josh Meyers had a below average season at center, rookie third rounder Sean Rhyan didn’t play a single snap and Yosh Njiman is a RFA. Well the bodies are there, the level of play seems to not be at times. Bringing in more talent like Northwestern tackle Peter Skronski or NDSU tackle Cody Mauch could bolster the options on the end. Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann is a sneaky name to watch out for in the middle rounds. His athleticism is exactly whats needed to run zone blocking schemes, and could challenge Meyers for the starting spot.
