The Green Bay Packers 2022 draft class after one season appears to be heading in a great direction. The team managed to land a starting LB, starting DL, two starting receivers, a quality OT and a rotational edge defender. After one season though, there are several rookies from each NFC North rival that the team wishes they had. On this list we will break down one rookie from each of the teams three divisional rivals thet Packers wish they had on the team going into 2023.
Detroit Lions: Safety Kerby Joseph
Yes I know the team would love Jameson Williams. It even pains me to not put him on this list. But going into 2023 the Packers have a massive hole at safety. Kerby Joseph exploded onto the scene for Detroit this year. A third round rookie, Joseph started fourteen games on the backend for Detroit this year. He recorded 8 PD’s and 4 INT’s, including three on Aaron Rodgers. Going into this next season I fully believe the team would be better with Kerby Joseph playing on the backend for our secondary over Detroits.
Minnesota Vikings: Linebacker Brian Asamoah
Honestly looking at the Vikings 2022 draft class is rough. It was hard to decide who the team would want because either the Vikings rookies sucked or were injured this season. But linebacker Brian Asamoah was a find for the Vikings. Asamoah played in sixteen games and did not start a single one, but in the last few weeks of the season he was playing roughly twenty snaps a game for the team, and playing well for them. He graded out well as a run defender and in coverage as a role player for the team. Now I know the Packers have a rather stacked linebacker room with Campbell, rookie Walker, and the team still has Barnes as a RFA. But Campbell is getting older and Barnes likely only has one more year in Green Bay, so why not steal this player from the Vikings and see if he can develop into a quality number two alongside Walker?
Chicago Bears: Safety Jaquan Brisker
Earlier on this list I had the Packers stealing another safety from fellow rival the Detroit Lions, but why stop at one when the team might have two holes at safety? Brisker was a first round talent in my evaluations last draft season. He ended up falling to the Bears at the 48th pick. As a rookie Brisker played and started fifteen games in 2022. While he was not a major coverage playmaker, i.e. recording lots of interceptions and pass breakups, he did prove to be an ultra versatile safety for the team. Brisker was used almost like a Jamal Adams type of player. While Brisker only recorded one interception and two PD’s in his rookie campaign, he did notch four sacks. Brisker rushed the passer 29 times as a rookie, tallying seven pressures and four sacks off of this. In his limited pass rush sets he proved to be a quality blitzing safety. Per PFF Brisker graded out to be an average coverage player and run defender. This is important to note because Brisker played in one of the worst defenses in the entire league and still managed to shine out. The sky’s the ceiling for a player of his caliber and Green Bay’s defense would be an absolute beast with a swiss army knife DB like him on the back end of things.
Conclusion
I don’t think there is even a debate to be had that the Packers had the best draft class out of the entire NFC North, at least as rookies. But even with this fact, all three division rivals drafted at least one player that the Packers surely wish they had on their team. In the case of Detroit, half their draft class consists of players the team wishes they had. That being said, these are the top players from each foes draft class that both the Packers and myself wish they had going into 2023.
