3 positions Packers are most likely to address in NFL Draft’s first round

The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is wide open for the Green Bay Packers, as they may go in several directions. That made this exercise of narrowing their decision down to three positions somewhat tricky.

The Packers had very little money to use in free agency, electing to mainly use it to re-sign low-level free agents (the only outside free agents they signed were a long-snapper and backup safety). To make matters worse, they saw many prominent players from last year’s team sign elsewhere or remain on the free agent market.

Don’t get me wrong, they are overdue for a roster overhaul, which is part of the painful process. The Packers’ roster is more flawed than it’s been in decades, and we’ll feel that pain more than ever next season. The good news is they have the draft to begin rebuilding their roster. Starting with their first-round pick, here are three positions they could target.

Here are the three positions the Green Bay Packers will most likely address with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Honorable Mention: Edge

Okay, so I stretched it to four positions (I told you it was difficult to narrow it down to just three!). On the surface, the Packers don’t have an immediate need on the edge. When healthy, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith are a nice duo. However, Gary is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last year, and who knows how much longer Smith will be around in Green Bay.

The Packers could see a fearsome edge rusher fall right into their laps, depending on how the draft plays out. Guys like Lukas Van Ness, Myles Murphy, and Nolan Smith come to mind.

3. Offensive Line

Again, the Packers don’t have a major need along the offensive line. General manager Brian Gutekunst has done a nice job building this position through the draft. However, the first round is littered with good linemen, especially offensive tackles, and Green Bay could easily justify going in this direction with their top pick. On my Packers’ Big Board, five of the top 20 prospects are offensive tackles.

2. Tight End

I’m not a fan of the Packers selecting a tight end in the first round for multiple reasons. First, it’s not a premium position and their resources are better off being spent elsewhere. Second, this is a deep tight end class and they have a good chance of finding an impactful tight end on Day 2.

However, the need for tight end is massive. Robert Tonyan moved on and Marcedes Lewis remains a free agent and is unlikely to return to Green Bay. That leaves Josiah Deguar and Tyler Davis. The Packers need to add talent here.

1. Wide Receiver

It would be ironic if the Packers selected an offensive skill player in the first round of the draft the year they moved on from Aaron Rodgers (I almost made it through an entire article without mentioning his name!). They haven’t drafted a wide receiver since Javon Walker in 2002 and a tight end since Bubba Franks in 2000. They could target a couple of players in the first, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba being the primary target.