Versatility the Hallmark of Packers 2023 Draft Class

If there is one word to define the Green Bay Packers 2023 draft class, it would be versatility. Up and down their draft board, for the most part, each prospect brings a multi-faceted skill set to Green Bay.

Versatility on offense is a key component of the Matt LaFleur system. LaFleur wants to run like plays from a variety of formations along with plays tphat begin the same but end quite differently in an effort to keep opponents off-balance and guessing. In order to do this, having players who can be utilized in a number of roles is crucial.

On defense, meanwhile, having players from front to back who are equipped to handle both the running and passing games are better prepared to face whatever the offense throws at them. Being able to move players around also allows for defenses to better match up with the offensive personnel and to create mismatches of their own.

"“We’ve been doing that quite a bit the last few years, and that goes back to Ted (Thompson) probably more than anybody,” said Brian Gutekunst after the draft. “You never know what is going to happen during a season. Injuries and as long as our season is and the injuries we go through, guys have to be able to do multiple things. If you stack the roster with guys who are singular that way and get hurt, other guys can’t come over and do what they do. Ted was big on well-rounded football players that can do multiple things. We are and continue to be.”"

First-round pick, Lukas Van Ness, began his Iowa career as an interior defender and actually has more career snaps lined up between the tackles than at edge rusher, where he primarily played during his final season. With the Packers, Van Ness will be an edge rusher, but as Za’Darius Smith did, he provides Joe Barry the flexibility to move him inside as a stand-up pass rusher on obvious passing situations.

Interior defenders Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden also spent most of their college careers moving up and down defensive fronts. According to PFF, Brooks spent 211 of his career snaps at Bowling Green lined up in the B-gap, another 718 over the offensive tackle, and 1,441 as a traditional edge rusher at over 300 pounds. Wooden, meanwhile, spent 668 snaps in the B-gap, 355 over the tackles, and 642 at edge rusher.

Moving along, second-round pick Jayden Reed has the ability to play outside because of his speed, as well as from the slot because of his strength, as VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan summarized. Reed also has extensive experience as a return man and could even be utilized on jet sweeps, Sullivan added.

Safety Anthony Johnson spent his first four seasons at Iowa State as a boundary cornerback, accumulating nearly 2,000 snaps there. It wasn’t until 2022 that he moved to safety and spent most of his time either lined up in the box or in the slot.

Lastly, tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft were known for their playmaking abilities in the passing game coming out of their respective schools, with Musgrave being a vertical presence with that speed of his and Kraft being a YAC monster. However, while Gutekunst certainly made note of those abilities, when discussing each player, he kept going back to their all-around skill-sets, which should make each of them impactful players against both the run and the pass–an element that the 2022 Green Bay tight end room didn’t have.

Perhaps to a lesser extent, it’s worth noting that Lew Nichols, who led the NCAA in rushing yards in 2021, also had 75 targets the last two seasons, and Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine played receiver before switching to the defensive side of the ball.

So as you can see, there is no shortage of flexibility that this year’s draft class can offer the Green Bay Packers and the coaching staff as they begin to find roles for each. As the old saying goes, the more you can do on the football field, the better.