What Packers top 30 visits tell us about potential approach to NFL draft
By Paul Bretl
Official pre-draft visits often have to be taken with a grain of salt, but with Brian Gutekunst as GM of the Green Bay Packers, more often than not, they’ve provided us with at least some insights. So what can we glean from this year’s visits?
Of the Packers, top-30 visits from 2022, six ended up as draft picks, along with three others being on the team last season in some capacity. The year prior, none of the pre-draft visits ended up in Green Bay, but in 2020 there were two. In 2019 there were three, and once again, six in 2018.
Until the draft takes place, we of course, won’t know the outcome for this year’s crop of visits, but perhaps what we can decipher at this point is what the Packers’ blueprint and approach could look like.
Peter Bukowski of The Leap would break Green Bay’s visitors list into groupings based on position and where they are expected to go in the draft. This included:
Three first-round tight ends: Michael Mayer, Dalton Kincaid, and Darnell Washington
Three late first/early second-round edge rushers: Will McDonald, Adetomiwa Adebawore, and Keion White
Three mid-round safeties: Jammie Robinson, Jordan Howden, and Marte Mapu
Three Day 3 running backs: Keaton Mitchell, Lew Nichols, and Evan Hull
To further things down, here are some additional observations and groupings that can be made.
Early-round cornerback: Tyrique Stevenson
First-round offensive tackle: Darnell Wright
mid-to-late-round tight ends: Josh Whyle and Ben Sims
Late-round quarterback: Sean Clifford
Day 2 wide receiver: Dontayvion Wicks
Day 3 interior offensive lineman: Atonio Mafi
Day 2 interior defensive lineman: Jaquelin Roy
Now, of course, there aren’t enough picks to address every need listed at each specified time in the draft, nor are the Packers going to target every one of these players. But the general layout is consistent with Green Bay’s needs and where the strengths of this draft class lie.
When it comes to the Packers’ first-round selection, offensive tackle, edge rusher, and tight end may be the most likely options at this point.
Tackle and edge rusher are premier positions that Green Bay historically targets in Round 1, and there will likely be players on their big board available at pick 15. Any potential success for Jordan Love begins with the offensive line play, and tackle does possibly become a major need in 2024. At edge rusher, Green Bay simply needs more consistent pressure.
Although there is potentially better value in drafting a tight end on Day 2– given the usual lack of major impact that comes from rookies at this position – the depth of Green Bay’s tight end room is incredibly thin along with Jordan Love needing more playmakers around him, and at pick 15, the best option to fill that role, including receivers, could be Mayer or Kincaid.
Having Stevenson in for a visit, an early-round cornerback option makes sense as well. While cornerback is not a major need, this class is loaded with talent and high-end athletes and, again, is a premier position, checking a lot of boxes that Gutekunst usually covets in the draft.
Day 2 needs for the Packers include receiver, an interior defensive lineman, and perhaps another tight end. Outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is there another receiver worth taking at 15? If Smith-Njigba is off the board, waiting until Rounds 2 and 3 is likely the route Green Bay will have to take.
The interior defensive line is another big need, with only five players under contract at the moment, only three of which have NFL experience. Without there being a viable pick at this position at pick 15, Day 2 is the sweet spot, with Keeanu Benton, Garvon Dexter, and Mazi Smith all being options.
With the draft class as deep as it is at tight end and the Packers low on talent and options at the position, I fully expect Gutekunst to add at least two in this draft. This second tight end could really be added at any point in rounds three through seven. And if the Packers don’t take an edge rusher in the first round, selecting one on Day 2 very much would remain in play.
Although the safety position is in need of upgrades, the Packers may have to wait until the middle rounds to address it. Unfortunately, this is not a very good class at the position, but as I wrote recently, with their free agent signings, Green Bay has at least given themselves options at safety so that they don’t feel that they absolutely have to add one early on.
On Day 3, running back, the interior offensive line, and quarterback are all viable options for the Packers. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are both potentially playing their final seasons, while adding a gadget element to the offense wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
The interior offensive line needs a developmental player with the position group not being as strong as it may appear on paper–not to mention that Brian Gutekunst has drafted nine offensive linemen in the last three drafts. Then once Aaron Rodgers is traded, the Packers will only have two quarterbacks on the roster. They will need at least two more added to get through training camp and the preseason and will need to find Love’s backup.
As always, how the board falls could change all of this, and there are no guarantees that a team’s top 30 visits are going to mirror what takes place in the draft. It’s also important to note that there have only been 22 reported visits so far, and depending on who the last eight are could change the outlook as well.
But to put a bow on everything just discussed, here is the potential breakdown of positional priorities for the Packers by round based on these visits:
Round 1: OT, Edge, TE
Round 2: Edge, TE, IDL, WR, CB
Round 3: TE, WR, IDL, S
Rounds 4-7: S, TE, QB, RB, IOL