Green Bay Packers draft analysis: Which rookies will play immediately?

The Green Bay Packers were certainly aware of the loose ends on their roster headed into the 2018 NFL Draft. Brian Gutekunst used his first three picks on the defense to help the newly acquired coordinator, Mike Pettine. But, will it be the Packers defensive or offensive selections that make the biggest impact in year one?

Prior to the draft, the Green Bay Packers knew they needed help in pass coverage, at receiver and along the offensive line. The depth chart proved these were the most concerning areas headed into Dallas this April.

No Jordy Nelson, no right guard and a patchwork secondary spelled a recipe for disaster if Gutekunst did not make the moves he did in his inaugural draft.

Some scouts considered edge rusher as their biggest need citing better cornerback play would be the by-product of a worthy selection. Gutekunst prioritized his draft board a little differently spending his first two picks on a couple of top-five rated cornerbacks in Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson.

Plus, with Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Vince Biegel and Reggie Gilbert earning reps at outside linebacker, there may not have been enough snaps to divvy out.

Surely the Packers got better after this year’s draft by addressing some major holes. But, can we expect all their picks to become day-one starters? Of course not. Some guys may find themselves on the practice squad while others will immediately find themselves inserted into the rotation.

That said, here are my the top breakout candidates from the 2018 draft class.