The Green Bay Packers will come on the clock at No. 15 overall in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft next Thursday night.
Who are the five most likely first-round options for the Packers in this year’s draft?
The staff at Packers Wire made their picks:
Zach Kruse
OLB Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
OLB Myles Murphy, Clemson
OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
TE Darnell Washington, Georgia
Van Ness is 21, big and powerful and an elite athlete at a premium position, and his best football is certainly ahead of him. Smith-Njigba is the best pass-catcher in the class and couldn’t be a better fit as a slot dynamo and complement to Christian Watson. Murphy checks almost all the boxes for the Packers in terms of size and athleticism and has some intriguing similarities to Rashan Gary. Wright was dominant as a senior, is an elite athlete and could be a plug-and-play right tackle. Washington is an elite athlete from Georgia who plays a high-need position and could go higher than expected, sound familiar?
Brandon Carwile
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
OLB Myles Murphy, Clemson
OLB Nolan Smith, Georgia
TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
If somehow, someway, Smith-Njigba is still on the board at 15, the Packers may just run the card to the podium. Green Bay knows it needs weapons for Jordan Love, and he is WR1 in this year’s class for a reason. Smith-Njigba is a dynamic slot receiver who is the perfect complement to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
Offensive tackle is an underrated need for the Packers. After all, this could be David Bakhtiari’s last season in Green Bay, and Yosh Nijman just recently signed his restricted free agent tender to return on a one-year deal. However, someone like Wright could be part of the long-term solution with experience at both left and right tackle.
Murphy is another prospect the Packers would be hard-pressed to pass on at 15. He has arguably the highest floor among this year’s group of edge rushers and is still only 21 years old. Murphy has room to develop but could eventually be an impactful starter opposite Rashan Gary.
Green Bay doesn’t have an immediate need at edge rusher, which is why a guy like Smith could make sense. He’s an explosive athlete with a ton of upside who could benefit from learning behind guys like Gary and Preston Smith. Now is probably a good time to mention that Brian Gutekunst has taken three Georgia players in the first round of the last two drafts.
I personally wouldn’t take a tight end at 15 because you would get much better value by trading back or waiting until day 2. However, I do recognize that it is a significant need. The Packers would prefer to draft a tight end who can bring a bit of playmaking to the position while also holding their own as a blocker. That sounds like a pretty good synopsis for Mayer, who appears to be a seamless fit for Green Bay’s offense both as an in-blocker and movable pass catcher.
Paul Bretl
CB Deonte Banks, Maryland
CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
OLB Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
OT Broderick Jones, Georgia
Although the Packers went off script selecting the 24-year-old Devonte Wyatt and linebacker Quay Walker in round one last year, they do have draft tendencies under Brian Gutekunst that they often adhere to. For now, we will consider 2022 the outlier rather than the norm. In the first round, this typically includes prospects with a RAS over 9.0, among other position-specific thresholds, prospects who are no older than 22 years and play premier positions. I also had to take into account who is likely gone by pick No. 15 and who may not be on Green Bay’s radar at this point in the draft. If we apply these metrics to a consensus top 30 prospects list, we are left with five players: Deonte Banks, Joey Porter Jr., Darnell Wright, Lukas Van Ness, and Broderick Jones.
Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland & Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State: Cornerback certainly isn’t the Packers’ biggest need but this is a loaded position in this year’s draft class. Adding a starting caliber cornerback to the roster will give the Packers the added flexibility to move Rasul Douglas to safety, which still remains a need for them, but unfortunately, this isn’t a strong draft class at that position. This would be a potential workaround of that problem.
Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee & Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia: Again, not a huge need in 2023, but looking ahead one season, and tackle could be one of the biggest needs on the roster with both David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman potentially playing elsewhere. Either Wright or Jones could start immediately at right tackle, creating added competition for Nijman while allowing Zach Tom to compete with Josh Myers at center. Myers had a very up-and-down 2022 season, and Brian Gutekunst did mention that center was Tom’s best position coming out of the draft.
Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Iowa: Van Ness has the ability to play both the traditional edge rusher role and also line up inside, bolstering the Packers’ depth at two positions where they very much need it and are also heavily rotated. Overall, Green Bay has to be more consistent at pressuring the quarterback in 2023. Pressure is the best way to blow up a play, and everyone on the defensive side of the ball benefits from it.
Brennen Rupp
OLB Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
DL Bryan Bresee, Clemson
DB Brian Branch, Alabama
Van Ness, AKA Hercules, would give Green Bay’s pass rush a much-needed jolt. Van Ness is a powerful edge rusher and he owns a devastating bullrush. The Packers need to find Rashan Gary a long-term running mate and Van Ness checks a lot of boxes. He plays a premium position, he’s athletic and he’ll turn 22 in July.
Mayer is a pro-ready tight end. The Notre Dame tight end has natural pass-catching abilities. Mayer has outstanding body control and makes catches in traffic look like a walk in the park. With his strong hands and frame, Mayer could be an instant security blanket for Jordan Love.
Smith-Njigba played primarily in the slot during his record-setting 2021 campaign. That’s where he’ll find success at the next level. With Watson and Romeo Doubs outside, Smith-Njigba in the slot could be the perfect complement. In 2021, Smith-Njigba had 43 receptions of 15-plus yards. With his short–area quickness, route running, and hands, Smith-Njigba could gobble up catches for the Packers.
Breese is powerful, athletic, and won’t turn 22 until October. That sounds like a future Packers first-round pick. The Packers need more bodies up front, and a trio of Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and Bresee looks menacing on paper.
A lot is made of Branch’s 40-time and that’s okay. It just overlooks everything else Branch brings to the table. Versatility. Branch can literally play anywhere in the secondary. Just because he played in the slot for Nick Saban doesn’t mean he can’t play on the boundary or free safety. Branch recorded 14 tackles for loss this past season. Meanwhile, he only missed three tackles all season and only has four missed tackles for his career. He’s fluid in coverage. Watch the game-winning pass deflection against Ole Miss when he was matched up against Jonathan Mingo. Versatile, tough as nails, excellent in coverage, and only 21 years old. Branch is a Top 20 player in this draft and would be a great addition to Green Bay’s defense.
Quick takeaways
There were no consensus picks. Smith-Njigba, Wright and Van Ness were in three of the four top-fives.
The only consensus position was edge rusher. Three of the four had a receiver, and three of the four had a tight end.
In all, 12 players were named.
Every player listed:
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
OT Darnell Wright
OLB Myles Murphy
OLB Lukas Van Ness
TE Darnell Washington
OLB Nolan Smith
TE Michael Mayer
CB Deonte Banks
CB Joey Porter Jr.
OT Broderick Jones
DL Bryan Bresee
DB Brian Branch
