Way too early Packers 53-man roster prediction following NFL Draft

Free agency has come and gone. The NFL Draft is complete, and the undrafted rookies have been signed. For the most part, we know what the Green Bay Packers’ 90-man roster will look like this summer, so naturally, it’s time to put together a way-too-early roster prediction.

For a team that finds themselves in the midst of a transition as they move to Jordan Love, there really weren’t many roster spots up for grabs as I went through this exercise. That, of course, can change once training camp arrives and these players take the practice field, but for now, there were maybe a handful of spots on the 53-man that I had an internal debate about.

Below I go position-by-position through the Packers roster, making my predictions and as always, providing my reasoning on who I think will be on the team come Week 1.

Quarterback (2): Jordan Love and Sean Clifford

I really don’t see any reason to roster three quarterbacks. It’s also worth mentioning that perhaps the Packers’ backup to Love isn’t even on the roster yet. Before potentially exploring the veteran quarterback market, Brian Gutekunst did say he wanted Clifford and Danny Etling to have the opportunity to get some reps. Etling has a year in the Matt LaFleur offense under his belt, but I went with Clifford, partly because the Packers spent a fifth-round pick on him. Gutekunst and LaFleur would both mention how much they valued his collegiate experience, athleticism, and fit in the locker room.

Running back (3): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Patrick Taylor

The Packers spent a seventh-round pick on Lew Nichols, and Tyler Goodson has some playmaking abilities, but I went with Taylor because he can hold his own as a pass blocker and was a special teams contributor in 2022. With Jones and Dillon taking the majority of the running back snaps, where the third running back can provide the most value is as a blocker and on special teams, and right now, I believe Taylor is better in those areas than Goodson and Nichols.

Wide Receiver (6): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Grant DuBose

With how the running backs and tight ends are used in the passing game, six receivers feels like the max number that the Packers will keep. At this stage of the offseason, I kept it pretty simple at this position and had each of Green Bay’s last six draft picks making the team. What I will say, however, is keep your eyes on Bo Melton, whose speed could provide the Packers with a gadget-like option at the position.

Tight End (4): Josiah Deguara, Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and Tyler Davis

With this being another position where it doesn’t look like the Packers are going to add a veteran, this position group seems pretty well set already.

Offensive Line (10): David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom, Yosh Nijman, Sean Rhyan, Caleb Jones, Rasheed Walker, and Royce Newman

We know who the first six spots on the roster will belong to; after that, there is some room for discussion. Rhyan was often inactive when available as a rookie before he was suspended for the final six games, but as a former third-round pick, I expect the Packers to give him another opportunity. The tackle position could be in-flux in 2024, so continuing to develop both Jones and Walker makes sense. Lastly, I went with Newman because he does have a decent amount of experience after starting most of his rookie season.

Interior Defensive Line (5): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Karl Brooks, and Colby Wooden

The first five players listed are going to be on the team. So the big question at this position is, do the Packers keep five or six interior defenders? And if they keep six, who will occupy that roster spot? I decided to keep five because I simply couldn’t justify keeping a sixth defender who likely won’t see much playing time. Green Bay regularly used a five-man rotation in 2022, with Slaton and Wyatt often seeing fewer than 20 snaps per game. The Packers also have Lukas Van Ness, who can take some inside snaps as well.

Edge Rusher (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, and Justin Hollins

Jonathan Garvin and La’Darius Hamilton are on the outside looking in at this point. The first four players mentioned will be on the team, and Hollins played quite well against both the run and the pass once he joined the Packers last season. What could change things is if Gary begins the season on the PUP list as he’s still recovering from that ACL injury, which would open up a roster spot. It’s also worth mentioning that Brenton Cox, who signed as a UDFA, is a name to watch this summer. A former five-star recruit who was very productive while on the field. Perhaps the Packers like his potential and give him a roster spot if they fear another team could sign him off the practice squad. However, in the month of May, it’s too early to make that assumption.

Linebacker (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, and Tariq Carpenter

Campbell and Walker will play the majority of the defensive snaps, while the other three were key contributors on special teams in 2022. Last year, the Packers rostered just four inside linebackers, but all five players here have the ability to impact the game one way or another.

Cornerback (5): Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Eric Stokes, and Carrington Valentine

Similar to Gary, Stokes could very well begin the season on the PUP list, which would open up a roster spot. If that’s the case, my guess is that Corey Ballentine, a core special teams player from Week 10 and on in 2022, would take that final roster spot. There really won’t be any playing time to go around on defense at this position, but Valentine has elite athleticism and can impact special teams.

Safety (5): Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Tarvarius Moore, Dalllin Leavitt, Anthony Johnson

Again, I think the big question here is do the Packers keep four or five players. I went with five because all can contribute in some capacity. Ford and Moore bring both defensive and special teams experience. Leavitt was a core special teamer, while Johnson could impact that phase of the game as well, and he may push for some playing time next to Savage.

Specialists (3): Anders Carlson, Pat O’Donnell, and Matt Orzech

Like the backup quarterback, the Packers kicker might not even be on the roster right now. But for the time being, I’ll go with Carlson, who both Gutekunst and LaFleur said Rich Bisaccia signed off on the selection–and that’s all I need to know. Orzech was signed to a three-year contract earlier this offseason, which tells me he is the clear front-runner at long-snapper.