Green Bay Packers Draft Recap

  • May 2, 2023
  • 8 minutes read
Heading into the 2023 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers had a lot riding on it. After trading away Aaron Rodgers, this season marks the beginning of a new era and Gute really needed to hit on a lot of picks to make sure the rebuild starts off strong. Now that all days are over, I can safely say that this draft class has been one of the more impressive ones under Gute. I’ll be grading all thirteen picks that the Packers made during the 2023 NFL draft.

Round 1 Pick 13: Lukas Van Ness DE; Grade: B

I feel like I can speak for the entirety of the Green Bay fan base when I say, I really wanted Jaxon Smith-Njigba here. The trio of Doubs, Watson, and JSN would take the league by storm and would’ve made our offense in the future insane. Instead, they opted for Van Ness at 13 out of Iowa, to place another young star across from Rashan Gary. I understand the pick, and I’m happy with Gute knowing that our pass rush was terrible after Gary got hurt last year. But, Van Ness is incredibly raw and it will take a few years before he gets to a level anywhere near Gary and I feel like that really hurts his draft grade. He also won’t benefit from learning under Za’darius and Preston during their primes like Gary did, but Green Bay has been known for developing edge rushers. Overall, I like this pick but I don’t love it because of the fact JSN was there. On the bright side our defense is going to be absolutely disgusting in 2 years if he pans out. 

Round 2 Pick 42: Luke Musgrave TE; Grade: A-

The Packers finally drafted a tight end that is an actual receiving threat. Musgrave can bust down the seam and get wide open, while also creating separation on short routes too. He’s freakishly fast as well, running a 4.61 40-yard dash at the combine and breaking 20 mph during the senior bowl. He’s a great pick up for the team and gives Love a reliable tight end to throw to. The only problems are a lack of production in college and his mediocre blocking. To be fair, he did play in a terrible offense that was extremely inconsistent and he went down with a knee injury in 2022. He showed a lot of promise when he did play with his freak athleticism and that’s definitely what the Packers were looking for. The blocking is the bigger problem, LaFleur really likes having tight ends acting as extra linemen, so him being poor at blocking will limit his snaps early in his career. Outside of blocking, he has a lot of potential and can create a unique dynamic in Green Bay due to a lack of success at this position in recent years. 

Round 2 Pick 50: Jayden Reed WR; Grade: B-

Jayden Reed was a really surprising pick. There were reports of him going in the 3rd, 4th, or even the 5th round. I was kind of astonished at the selection in general, because of how small he is in comparison to Packer receivers in the past. Picking a late day 2/mid day 3 guy in the second really did not sit well with me at all. To cut Green Bay some slack, I am not in a front office nor am I a scout, so they definitely had to have known he’s way better than his projections. Looking past that, the kid is a baller. He’s an elite threat that will primarily be used in the slot but can be an outside receiver too. Reed has drawn comparisons to Deebo Samuel, but way smaller. He has a lot of promise and I’m interested in how Matt Lafleur uses him in the brand new offense this year. 

Round 3 Pick 78: Tucker Kraft TE; Grade: A+

Coming into the draft, I had said Tucker Kraft would be the prototypical tight end. Looking at his scouting reports and film, this guy had Green Bay written all over him. His fit here is something you can only dream of, and now that the Packers grabbed him I couldn’t be happier. Kraft is an extremely gritty blocker, which is by far his best quality as a prospect. He has the potential to be just as good, if not better than Lewis was for us at blocking. His speed and athleticism are definitely going to hold him back in the passing game, with him not really running a complete route tree. Outside of that, I love this pick for Green Bay and hope the third round curse stays away from him.

Round 4 Pick 116: Colby Wooden DL; Grade: A+

Coming into the draft the Packers desperately needed more depth on the defensive line. They got that and then some with Wooden. The fact he fell halfway through the 4th is outrageous, but I’m not complaining because he fell to us. He was a force in college, posting 14 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss in his career. He’s going to be a great addition to the defensive line, with other young guys like Wyatt, Brooks, Slaton, and Van Ness.

Round 5 Pick 149: Sean Clifford QB; Grade: D-

I don’t really know how to begin with this pick. I understand that there was a need of having a back-up quarterback, but out of all the possible guys available, we go with Sean Clifford. I have seen my fair share of Penn State games, and I can safely say this guy had no business being drafted at all. I still can’t wrap my head around the reasoning for picking him. I mean at that point McKee, Hall, and Duggan were all there. I consider all of them miles ahead of Clifford in terms of being able to function as a quarterback. Hopefully Clifford will never play meaningful snaps in Green Bay, and if he does, buckle up for one of the worst experiences you will ever have.

Round 5 Pick 159: Dontayvion Wicks WR; Grade: A+

Similar to Wooden, I was shocked to see Wicks fall this far. His ball tracking is almost unmatched, and will catch nearly every jump ball thrown his way. Wicks’ after the catch moves are elite as well, being able to make guys miss and fight for extra yards. His releases are phenomenal too, creating separation off the line like Davante used to. He does have a major drop problem though, and his hands are really inconsistent. One play he’ll drop an easy crosser but then the next he’ll moss two guys in the back of the endzone. With some added development he can be extremely solid for our wide receiver corp. 

Round 6 Pick 179: Karl Brooks DL; Grade: A

He’s a really solid defensive linemen that can blow up plays. Drafted mainly for depth but he can be helpful if people are hurt. Brooks will need a year under some of the vets to really come into his own but he’s still a guy that will benefit the team as a whole.

Round 6 Pick 207: Andres Carlson K; Grade: C-

Andres Carlson is tasked with the role of filling Mason Crosby’s shoes in Green Bay. I’m not going to be too harsh on him, but with previous experiences of guys not used to the cold kicking or punting for us, I’m really worried. JK Scott was terrible in the cold and so was Corey Bojorquez. Carlson is coming from Auburn, who never had to play in cold weather. I pray that he will be able to adjust and be an extremely solid kicker for us for the next 15 years, but I seriously have my doubts. To add, he went down with a leg injury last year that he couldn’t shake, and frankly I cannot deal with another guy on the team that misses half the year or plays poorly due to a “groin” injury. Hopefully Carlson proves me wrong and is a solid kicker for years to come.

Round 7 Pick 232: Carrington Valentine DB; Grade: C+

I don’t really have much to say here. He’s just another defensive back that will play occasionally and will primarily be used on special teams. Maybe this guy turns into Darrelle Revis in his time in Green Bay, but I don’t really expect much from him.

Round 7 Pick 235: Lew Nichols III RB; Grade: A+

Lew Nichols is honestly the biggest steal of the draft for the Packers. In 2021, he had 2100 yards from scrimmage with 18 touchdowns. He’s like a mini Aaron Jones, and can be extremely useful for Green Bay’s rushing attack in case anyone gets hurt. Realistically, it was a depth pick and won’t see the field much if at all. Still jubilant with the pick regardless of how much he plays.

Round 7 Pick 242: Anthony Johnson Jr. S; Grade: A-

This safety class was down right terrible this year, so I wasn’t surprised that the Packers waited this long to take one. He’s just going to be another rotational guy, and I expect him to get a lot of snaps in the preseason as a starting safety. During the regular season he’ll have to earn his snaps on the defense by playing hard during special teams. I don’t have much to say about him other than we needed a safety and we got one.

Round 7 Pick 256: Grant DuBose WR; Grade: B+

DuBose is a prototypical Green Bay receiver. He’s big, strong, and athletic, while also being able to catch jump balls. My main gripe with him is how slow he is. While watching highlights it looked like most people would catch up to him on plays. Regardless, I have a lot of faith in him and he could turn into something special.

Composite Grade: B+/Conclusion

This was one of the better drafts in recent memory for Green Bay. We traded back a few times to gather more capital, and really capitalized on those picks. There are still a lot of question marks heading into the regular season, but I can rest a little easier after having a draft like this. Who knows, maybe in the next few years some of the guys we drafted become perennial stars and help win us another Lombardi. Overall, I’m happy with the draft and the general direction of the future for the team.

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