5 Packers defensive players with greatest potential

The Green Bay Packers will be an exciting, young team in 2023. They have many developing players with their best football ahead of them and great potential.

Sure, there will be mistakes on the field. But those mistakes will be exciting and made at 100 miles per hour. This team promises to fly around, giving their best effort and learning along the way.

After previously looking at the Packers’ five offensive players with the greatest potential, here are the five defensive players who fit that same category.

The Green Bay Packers are a young team with tremendous potential, but these five defensive players have the highest ceilings.

Eric Stokes

Stokes had a solid rookie campaign when he earned a starting spot at outside cornerback. He was tested often that year, but found a way to ensure his man didn’t come down with the ball. That wasn’t the case in 2022. Stokes was picked on by opposing quarterbacks and couldn’t replicate the same success he had in 2021.

An injury prematurely ended his season, and he’s still working his way back to the field. The injury plus the second-year struggles are causes for concern. However, he’s also proven he can be a solid corner in the NFL.

Devonte Wyatt

Devonte Wyatt is already 25 years old despite only heading into his second professional season. His age caps his ceiling, as he should be close to the player he will become. He got better toward the end of his rookie year, but wasn’t given many opportunities. That will be different this season, as he and TJ Slaton are Kenny Clark’s primary running mates.

Lukas Van Ness

It’s a real possibility Lukas Van Ness will rise up this list by the time the season is done. He’s an athletic freak. At 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds, he ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash and elite 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle drills.

Green Bay will bring him along slowly, especially if Rashan Gary returns to health before the season begins. He’ll likely start in a rotational role behind Gary, Preston Smith and possibly even Justin Hollins and Kingsley Enagbare. However, he could be one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers in four-to-five years.

Quay Walker

Make no mistake, Quay Walker possesses all of the physical traits to become one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL. He can cover sideline to sideline quickly and lay the boom when he gets to the ball carrier. He also has a tremendous size that allows him to disengage from potential blockers.

It’s the mental aspect where he’s lacking. He was ejected from two games last season for putting his hands on the opposing team’s personnel. That’s unacceptable. He also struggles to diagnose plays, often getting fooled by misdirection. If he can improve in that area, the sky is the limit.

Rashan Gary

After excluding Elgton Jenkins in the offensive version, I included Gary in this one. It still feels like Gary has another level or two to get to. We saw him peaking last year before he tore his ACL and it will be exciting to see him return to full health. He’s two years younger than Jenkins, so it’s fair to expect another jump.