Depth, experience and talent of the current roster will be important factors as the Green Bay Packers identify the team’s biggest positions of need entering the 2023 NFL draft.
The draft isn’t about addressing immediate needs and must be used to build out a roster over many years, but looking at the current roster can help guide the process.
Here are the positions where the Packers must add during the 2023 draft:
Tight end
Players with NFL experience: 2
The Packers return Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis from last year’s 53-man roster, but the two have combined for only 47 catches and roughly 1,000 total offensive snaps at the NFL level. Deguara isn’t a traditional inline tight end and is used more as an H-back in Matt LaFleur’s offense, while Davis only played 16 percent of snaps last season. The Packers are losing Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis, the two starters from the last three seasons. Austin Allen and Nick Guggemos have never played an NFL snap. Fortunately for the Packers, this draft class is deep at tight end, giving Brian Gutekunst a chance to select at least one but likely two players at the position. Unfortunately for the Packers, tight ends take a long time to develop at the NFL level and rarely make an immediate (positive) impact.
Defensive line
Players with NFL experience: 3
Losing Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed left the Packers with Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton and Devonte Wyatt as the only players on the roster with legitimate NFL experience along the defensive line. Slaton, a fifth-rounder in 2021, has been a rotational player during his first two seasons, while Wyatt only played a meaningful role late in his rookie season. The Packers are expecting big jumps from both, but depth here is severely lacking. Chris Slayton (zero career snaps) and Jonathan Ford (zero snaps as a rookie) are the only other players on the roster at defensive line currently. Any injury to any of the top three could devastating to the defense’s front in 2023.
Wide receiver
Players with NFL experience: 3
The Packers return Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure, three rookies from 2022, and Bo Melton and Jeff Cotton, two players without NFL experience. That’s it at wide receiver. This is a young, inexperienced and unproven group. The Packers need to add a veteran and draft picks to bolster the position. Selecting a couple of wide receivers from this draft class (it’s deep, with plenty of good fits for the Packers) could help the entire position grow alongside Jordan Love over a two- or three-year window. Although the Packers like Watson and Doubs as a one-two punch, the lack of depth and experience here could be offense-crippling.
Safety
Players with NFL experience: 5
The Packers have Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Innis Gaines, Tariq Carpenter and Tarvarius Moore at safety, but this need is based in lack of talent. Savage lost his starting spot last season, Ford has never been a full-time starter, Moore played only 41 snaps on defense with the 49ers last season and neither Gaines nor Carpenter has extensive NFL experience. The Packers could find a new starter in the draft. At the very least, Gutekunst needs to find one or two players who can come in and compete for snaps right away as rookies from this draft class. The Packers have one of the weakest safety groups in football.
Others
Quarterback: Once Aaron Rodgers is traded, Jordan Love and Danny Etling will be the only quarterbacks on the roster.
Left tackle: Is the future in a post David Bakhtiari world on the roster?
Cornerback: The Packers think they have three quality perimeter corners and at least two they like in the slot, including Keisean Nixon. But depth at corner is always a priority.
Edge rusher: The Packers actually have six players with NFL experience on the roster at edge rusher, but Rashan Gary’s injury and Preston Smith’s age may make this a draft priority.
Running back: A.J. Dillon is entering a contract year, and Aaron Jones’ contract makes him a year-to-year player.
Kicker: Parker White has never kicked in an NFL game. He’s the only kicker on the roster currently.
