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The Green Bay Packers have produced the second-youngest playoff team (2024) and the youngest playoff team (2023) of the past 45 NFL seasons.
That's a major accomplishment, but the franchise has been unable to break through to the NFC Championship game. Many teams would love for their conference championship game appearance drought to only be four seasons like the Packers', but expectations are high for a franchise that prides itself on being Titletown, the owner of an NFL-most 13 championships.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has done a solid job of rebuilding his roster around quarterback Jordan Love the last few years in the wake of Aaron Rodgers' departure to the New York Jets in 2023, but the team needs just a little more seasoning and some help at key spots. The Packers didn't have any scrimmage yards from players older than 26 in 2024, which is how they recorded the third-most scrimmage yards (6,435) by players 26 or younger in a single season in NFL history, per CBS Sports Research. Only the 2018 Rams (6,613) and the 1961 Oilers (6,454) relied on more youth offensively in a single season.
Three of football's premier positions -- wide receiver, edge rusher and cornerback (varying degrees of need pending the resolution of two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander's situation) -- are Green Bay's top three areas to address. Here are five options the Packers can utilize with the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to reinforce one of those spots.
Note: The Packers have not selected a wide receiver in the opening round of the draft since taking Javon Walker 20th overall out of Florida State in the 2002 NFL Draft.
1. Draft Jahdae Barron
One could argue cornerback is still the Packers' most glaring need even after signing Nate Hobbs away from the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency because of the uncertainty surrounding Alexander's future in Green Bay.
That's why Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron would make a ton of sense for the Packers if he's on the board at pick No. 23. He was the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner, which goes to college football's top defensive back, and his 91.3 Pro Football Focus coverage grade was the second best of any FBS corner last season. As far as measurables are concerned, something that Gutekunst and his front office clearly place plenty of weight on, Barron crosses the acceptable thresholds as shown below on his relative athletic score from the NFL Scouting Combine. Reinforcing their secondary that already has two solid safeties in 2024 first-team All-Pro Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams with a first-team All-American could make defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's unit even more dangerous in Year 2 with all that versatility. Plus, better coverage downfield could potentially juice a pass rush that didn't quite live up to its potential in 2024.
2. Draft Derrick Harmon
Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark showcased some slippage in his production in 2024 at the age of 29. He only totaled one sack, his fewest since his rookie season in 2016, and his 33 quarterback pressures were the fourth fewest of his nine-season career. Some of that could perhaps be attributed to a bumpy first season in a new scheme under Hafley or perhaps the wear and tear of nine seasons as an NFL interior defensive lineman are beginning to wear on Clark.
Enter Oregon Ducks 2024 second-team All-Big Ten defensive lineman Derrick Harmon: He totaled the most pressures by a defensive tackle in college football (55) and the second-best quarterback pressure rate by a defensive tackle (10.7%). His height-weight measurables (6-foot-4, 313 pounds) are very similar to Clark's (6-foot-3, 314 pounds). Harmon could line up alongside Clark and become his eventual successor. His presence could also boost the Packers' pass rush and potentially uplift former first-round pick edge rusher Lukas Van Ness and Pro Bowl edge rusher Rashan Gary.
3. Draft Nic Scourton
Texas A&M 2024 first-team All-SEC edge rusher Nic Scourton would be a classic Gutekunst pick. He's 6-4 and weighs 285 pounds with a smooth spin move while also being reliable in the run game. Scourton's 29 tackles for loss since 2023 are tied for the eighth most in college football in that span, and he'll be 20 years old on draft night. A young, athletic edge with loads of potential is a classic Packers pick.
4. Trade up to draft Tetairoa McMillan if he begins to fall
Yes, the Packers haven't taken a wide receiver with their first-round pick since 2002. Yes, Gutekunst is on the record saying he "wants all the picks," thus indicating he would rather trade down if it meant more swings at young, cost-effective talent in the draft.
However, Gutekunst does also have a selective history of trading up in Round 1. He did so in each of his first three drafts in charge, trading up for Alexander (2018), safety Darnell Savage (2019) and Love (2020). Gutekunst also reportedly attempted to trade back into Round 1 in 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings in order to take wide receiver Christian Watson in the opening round to have a fifth-year option on his rookie deal. He was rebuffed and selected him 34th overall that year instead.
Should Arizona Wildcats All-America wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan begin to slide down the board into the teens on draft night, Gutekunst should consider going to get him. Green Bay needs a go-to receiver, and his stature (6-foot-4 while weighing 219 pounds), plus collegiate production, indicates he could be a baller in the NFL. McMillan led the nation in both receiving yards (3,423, an Arizona program record) and catches of 20 or more air yards (35) during his three-year Arizona career. That second statistic is key for a quarterback in Love, whose 8.6 air yards per pass attempt since becoming the Packers' starter in 2023 ranks as the third highest in the entire NFL, who wants nothing more than to let it rip deep downfield.
| Tetairoa McMillan Career, FBS Ranks From 2022-24 | FBS Rank Since 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
Receptions | 213 | 5th |
Receptions of 20+ air yards | 35 | 1st |
Receiving yards | 3,423* | 1st |
Receiving TD | 26 | T-3rd |
* Arizona program record
This trade should only be considered if McMillan falls into the teens where the price to move up wouldn't be as high as the top 10.
5. Trade back and accumulate Day 2 picks
This is a Packers roster that is about to go from being very affordable to very expensive in the blink of an eye. Yes, Green Bay has sent two of the youngest rosters in recent memory to the postseason in the last two years, but that also means guys are about to starting coming up for second NFL contracts. OverTheCap.com projects the Packers to have just $6.1 million in effective cap space in 2026, the eighth-fewest amount in the NFL and $75.9 million in 2027, the sixth fewest in the league.
Trading down in a draft in which many of the players who will be selected in the opening round will have similar grades would make sense for a team like Green Bay. The Packers are looking to level up as a contender while also attempting to keep as much of their young nucleus together for as long as they can. Trading back allows the franchise the ability to plug holes at multiple spots at the top of the draft with players who could be around for as many as four seasons on their rookie deals.
