6 2023 NFL Combine Prospects to Watch at Positions of Need for Packers

The NFL Combine starts on February 28th and runs through March 6th. Based on the Green Bay Packers’ biggest positions of need, here is one player from each of those six positions to keep your eyes on.

The positions that I’ve identified as the biggest needs for the Packers include receiver, edge rusher, safety, tight end, offensive tackle, and interior defensive lineman. Below is my reasoning behind those decisions.

Wide receiver: the Packers appear to have a solid foundation in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, but to put it simply, they need more big play potential at the position, with the only other options on the roster being Samori Toure, Jeff Cotton, and Bo Melton. This is also a young room, so Green Bay should add a veteran in free agency, but that shouldn’t impact the draft.

Edge rusher: the pass rush was very inconsistent without Rashan Gary in 2022. On top of that, this is a heavily rotated position, and depth, once again, is a concern.

Safety and tight end: we will lump these two together because both are in need of playmaking as well as depth. Robert Tonyan was reliable as a pass catcher but averaged fewer than nine yards per catch. The safety position, meanwhile, was littered with missed tackles and broken coverages. Josiah Deguara and Darnell Savage are the only players at those positions with any real experience.

Offensive tackle: the tackle depth is in good shape for 2023, but the draft is about planning ahead, and there could be a lot of uncertainty in 2024 at one of the game’s most important positions. David Bakhtiari could be released next offseason. Yosh Nijman will be a free agent, and we don’t know if Caleb Jones or Rasheed Walker can be starters.

Interior defensive line: The Packers need to add to their rotation with only Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and TJ Slaton as experienced options, and they need more consistent play. When the defense was playing its best at the end of last season, the improved play in the trenches was a big reason why.

In addition to looking at these positions specifically, in choosing the players on this list, I also took into account certain height and weight measurements that the Packers typically prefer, along with their fit with Green Bay and how they could test athletically. In Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as GM, 30 of his 42 draft picks have scored 8.0 or higher on the Relative Athletic Scale, including 18 players above 9.0.

Lukas Van Ness, Edge rusher, Iowa

In terms of snap counts, Van Ness isn’t the most experienced player that the Packers could select in what is a loaded edge rusher class, but we know that’s not the be-all-end-all for Brian Gutekunst either. Van Ness has that big body that Green Bay covets at the edge rusher position, standing 6’5″ and weighing 269 pounds.

He also has experience lining up inside, and we know the Packers like to move their edge rushers around–not to mention that Peter Bukowski of The Leap tweeted that he is hearing that Van Ness is going to do really well at the Combine.

Van Ness finished the 2022 season with 43 pressures, including eight sacks, and he ranked 11th among eligible edge rushers in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric.

Rashee Rice, Wide Receiver, SMU

The Packers have a specific type of wide receiver that they usually target in the draft. Typically these pass-catchers are at least 6’0″ tall and weigh at least 190 pounds, with many over 200. Well, Rice easily checks those boxes standing 6’3″ and weighing 206 pounds.

In addition to his size, Rice fits what the Packers look for and need at receiver for a few other reasons. He was dynamic with the ball in his hands last season, ranking third in total YAC and 23rd in YAC average. Rice has also been a willing run-blocker and graded out quite well over his career. He was a high-volume target at SMU, with 156 passes thrown his way in 2022, making an impact behind the line of scrimmage and in the 0-20 yard range.

Luke Musgrave, Tight End, Oregon State

Musgrave’s 2022 season was cut short due to injury, but he fits what the Packers should be looking for at tight end. Green Bay is in need of added playmaking at this position, and although a small sample size, Musgrave was averaging over 15 yards per catch on his 11 targets in 2022.

He should also test well at the combine. While at the Senior Bowl, Musgrave was clocked at running over 20 mph, the 16th quickest time at the event. Jim Nagy, the Director of the Senior Bowl, also has a trusted source who believes Musgrave will run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the Combine.

On top of that, Musgrave has experience as a zone run-blocker coming from Oregon State, with over 500 run-blocking snaps. And as a run-blocker, he’s also graded out well by PFF’s metrics, for what it’s worth.

Jordan Battle, Safety, Alabama

There are safeties ranked higher on most big boards than Battle, but I believe that he better suits what the Packers need at the position. Battle has experience lining up in both the slot and in the box, but the majority of his snaps at Alabama have come in the traditional free safety role–which is what Green Bay needs.

In coverage, the 6’1″ – 206 pound Battle held pass catchers to just 7.7 yards per catch and was a reliable tackler as well. Battle is active in the run game, but Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network wrote in his pre-draft report that he can take bad angles when trying to get to the ball carrier.

Anton Harrison, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma

The Draft Network projects Harrison to be a starting left tackle early on in his NFL career, which is where he spent most of his time at Oklahoma.

Harrison measures in at 6’5″ and weighs 315 pounds–checking a lot of the physical requirements that teams want in a tackle. He allowed just one sack and eight pressures during the 2022 season and ranked 11th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric. As a run-blocker, Harrison’s athleticism shows up with his ability to work in space, an important aspect in the Matt LaFleur offense that utilizes a zone-blocking scheme.

Gervon Dexter, Interior Defensive Lineman, Florida

Dexter stands 6’5″ and weighs 318 pounds. Prior to the 2022 season, he made it on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List,” which highlights the top athletes in college football.

Gervon spent most of his career lined up in the B-gap but does have some nose tackle reps as well. As a pass rusher, he totaled 24 pressures and two sacks this past season, and he recorded the eighth most run-stops among interior defenders in college football. Dexter has the physical tools required to be successful in the NFL, along with a ton of upside, and we know that Gutey loves to draft those types of players.