The Green Bay Packers are in the middle of an important offseason, but that pales in comparison to third-year running back MarShawn Lloyd’s situation. A third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Lloyd has been sidelined due to injury for almost the entirety of his time in Green Bay.
Entering the third year of his contract, it’s now or never for the USC product. And if that wasn’t clear, general manager Brian Gutekunst may have driven the point home at the NFL’s annual meetings on Monday when asked if the Packers are looking to add “a true No. 2 running back.”
“We will certainly add competition to that room,” Gutekunst said. But I like whether it’s MarShawn as we get him healthy, getting going, Pierre Strong is there, but there’s guys that we really like. But I’m sure there will be more competition to come.”
Packers’ RB2 Plans Could Put Pressure on MarShawn Lloyd
While Gutekunst tried to pump the tires of Chris Brooks and Lloyd during the media scrum, the writing has been on the wall for a while.
Things appeared to be going well for Lloyd when the Packers declined the right to tender running back Emanuel Wilson earlier this offseason. While Gutekunst praised Brooks for his ability as a reserve on offense and a special teamer, Lloyd may be the most affected if the Packers add a running back in the draft.
Lloyd could bring an explosive element to the Packers' running game as a player who posted an 8.62 relative athletic score during the process leading up to the 2024 NFL draft. But he hasn’t been on the field long enough to prove it.
After suffering hamstring, hip, and ankle injuries to go with appendicitis in his rookie season, Lloyd suffered groin, hamstring, and calf injuries that wiped out his entire sophomore campaign. As a result, Lloyd has just six carries for 15 yards over the first two years in his career, and it would be foolish for the Packers to go back to the well and leave him unchallenged for the No. 2 role this offseason.
Green Bay Will Have Options in the Draft
That makes it no surprise that Gutekunst confirmed the Packers will be taking a running back in the draft. But the bigger question is who it will be.
If there is any good news for Lloyd, it’s that this is not a strong running back class. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love is listed as the top running back and No. 4 player overall on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, and the next running back is his Irish teammate Jadarian Price, who comes in as the No. 44 overall prospect.
Arkansas’s Mike Washington Jr. comes in next as the No. 64 prospect. But the chances are high that Lloyd’s competition won’t come until the final day of the draft, with Washington’s Jonah Coleman (No. 91), Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson (No. 104), and Penn State’s Nick Singleton (No. 128) as the leading candidates to head to the Packers.
The lack of high-end talent in this class could be considered a good thing for Lloyd, but it won’t matter if he can’t finally overcome the injury bug. With his general manager tipping his draft strategy to the public, it’s a sign that Lloyd needs to realize his potential next season or find himself looking for a new job after two lackluster seasons in Green Bay.