GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The 2023 NFL draft took place Thursday through Saturday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Here is ESPN's pick-by-pick analysis of each of the Green Bay Packers’ selections:
Analysis of every pick | Updated depth chart
Round 1, No. 13 overall (from New York Jets): Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa
My take: Wouldn’t it have been something if general manager Brian Gutekunst did for quarterback Jordan Love what he never did for Aaron Rodgers and took a pass-catcher in the first round? But just because the quarterback changed doesn’t mean the GM’s philosophy would. Of the Packers’ last 13 first-round picks, only one -- Love -- has been an offensive player. Not only does Gutekunst love defensive players high in the draft, he loves versatile ones. Van Ness moved outside after playing defensive tackle in 2021 and says he's comfortable anywhere up front. The Packers’ defense, on paper, should have been dominant last season, but it took most of the season before Joe Barry’s unit resembled anything close to that. Perhaps this will help it start faster.
Key stat: Zero. That's the number of games Van Ness started during his career at Iowa because he was behind two fifth-year seniors. Clearly, the more important stats are 14 (his sack total over the past two seasons) and 20.5 (his tackles for loss over that span, which were the fourth most in the Big Ten). Meanwhile, despite having the second-highest pressure rate in the NFL last season (35% according to ESPN Stats & Information), the Packers ranked 27th in the NFL in sacks with 34.
Will he start as a rookie?: It would certainly be something if he started right away in the NFL after not starting at all in college. If Rashan Gary isn't ready for the season opener because of his November ACL tear, then there's a chance the Packers will need Van Ness to start right away and pair with Preston Smith on the edge. The Packers' defense had a 40% pressure rate last season when Gary was on the field, but when Gary was off the field, that dropped to 32%.
Round 2, No. 42 overall (from New York Jets): Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
My take: The Packers had to get tight end help regardless of whether it was Love or Rodgers at quarterback. After losing Robert Tonyan in free agency and not re-signing Marcedes Lewis, they had only two tight ends with any NFL experience on their roster, Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis, and they combined for just 17 catches for 140 yards and no touchdowns. Even with Tonyan and his 53 catches last season, the Packers' tight ends were 25th in the NFL in receiving yards. If the Packers didn’t take a tight end here, they might have risked missing out on one of the top prospects because Sam LaPorta and Michael Mayer went at Nos. 34 and 35 overall. Georgia’s Darnell Washington also was available at this spot.
Key stat: Musgrave played in only two games last season because of a knee injury, though he caught 11 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in those contests. He hasn’t played since Sept. 10 against Fresno State, when he was injured in the final minute of that game.
Round 2, No. 50 overall (from Tampa Bay): Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State
My take: The Packers don’t take receivers in the first round, but they’ve done well with them in the second round. Reed is the next in line following the likes of Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and, last year, Christian Watson -- all second-round receiver picks by the Packers. They need a slot receiver, and while Reed has played all over, he could find a home at that spot in coach Matt LaFleur’s offense. If Reed breaks into the top three or four receivers right away and the Packers don’t add a veteran after the draft, then Jordan Love will have a young group that also includes Watson and fellow second-year receiver Romeo Doubs.
What we’re hearing about Reed: ESPN’s Todd McShay said he gave Reed a second-round grade right after the Senior Bowl and never budged on that: “There will be a handful of [receivers] taken ahead of him on Friday night that he will wind up out-performing in the near future.” Shortly after the pick, Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said Reed “complements Christian and Romeo really well [because] he’s versatile enough to play inside and out.”
Round 3, No. 78 overall: Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
My take: Two tight ends are better than one. It’s the first time the Packers have taken multiple tight ends within the first three rounds in the common draft era (since 1967). It’s also the first time in that timespan that they’ve selected three pass-catchers (receivers or tight ends). The Packers are going to be young at the skill positions with a pair of rookie tight ends, a rookie receiver and three second-year receivers (Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure) among the top likely targets, but this gives Jordan Love the chance to grow with the same group and potentially build some long-term connections. Like the 6-foot-6 Musgrave, Kraft has good size at 6-5.
Key stat: In 2021, Kraft caught 65 passes (most among all FCS tight ends) for 780 yards (second most). His numbers dropped significantly last season (27, 348), but he missed a month because of an ankle injury.
Round 4, No. 116 overall: Colby Wooden, DE, Auburn
My take: The Packers lost a pair of veteran defensive linemen in free agency, Dean Lowry to the Bears and Jarran Reed to the Seahawks. They prefer versatility up front, and Wooden matches that. He played both inside at defensive tackle and on the edge, and Packers college scout Patrick Moore said the team plans to play him primarily inside. “He’s an inside pass rush threat for sure,” Moore said.
At under 280 pounds, he’s on the small side for an interior lineman but he has speed (a 4.79 40), which Moore said is becoming more important among interior defensive linemen because “quarterbacks are breaking the pocket more and offense are throwing more behind the line of scrimmage.” Wooden was productive, starting every game for Auburn last season with 11.5 tackles for loss (six sacks), three pass breakups and a team-leading three fumbles forced.
Round 5, No. 149 overall: Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State
My take: The Packers need a quarterback -- or at least a backup to Jordan Love. Clifford was the 11th one to come off the board in this draft and he will compete with Danny Etling, who spent last season on Green Bay’s practice squad. It doesn’t mean the Packers also won’t sign a veteran quarterback, but Clifford is actually 3½ months older than Love. He has experience as a four-year starter at Penn State, where second-round pick Will Levis was his backup for two seasons before transferring to Kentucky. Regardless, the Packers aren’t done acquiring quarterbacks. They always have at least four when it comes to training camp.
Round 5, No. 159 overall (from Jacksonville/Atlanta/Detroit): Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Virginia
My take: Forget what happened in the first round, this is an offensive draft for GM Brian Gutekunst. It's now two receivers, two tight ends and a quarterback in their first seven picks. The four receivers/tight end picks are the most by the Packers through five rounds in the common draft era (1967). Wicks will likely compete with players like Samori Toure (seventh-round pick last year) and street free agents Bo Melton and Jeff Cotton for a roster spot behind Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed.
Round 6, No. 179 overall (from Houston/TB): Karl Brooks, DE, Bowling Green
My take: Much like fourth-round pick Colby Wooden, Brooks is another player who might end up playing a different position on the defensive line than he played in college. Brooks lined up primarily on the edge at Bowling Green, but at over 300 pounds, the Packers view him more as an interior defensive lineman. Packers director of football operations Milt Hendrickson said of Brooks that when looking at players from non-power conferences, they like to see a player dominate, and Brooks delivered with 27.5 sacks in 52 career games.
Round 6, No. 207 overall (from New York Jets): Anders Carlson, K, Auburn
My take: It appears the Mason Crosby era is over. Carlson is the first kicker the Packers have drafted since 2007 with Crosby, the Packers franchise scoring leader who is currently unsigned. Carlson has the pedigree; his brother is an All-Pro kicker for the Raiders, where he was coached by current Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. The younger Carlson’s stats, however, aren’t overly strong, He made 71.8% of his field goals in college over five seasons, although he had a 91% year in 2020 (20-of-22). He went 26-of-38 (68.4%) in his final two seasons, which also included a torn ACL. The Packers have another kicker, Parker White, on the roster. He was signed in January but has never appeared in an NFL game. The Packers could always try to re-sign Crosby if he's available and if Carlson and White struggle, but it's clear they're trying to replace him.
Round 7, No. 232 overall: Carrington Valentine, CB, Kentucky
My take: With former first-round pick Eric Stokes coming off a major ankle injury/surgery, the Packers need as much depth as possible at cornerback. They're set with starters Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas but after not taking a cornerback in last year's draft, it was a good time to add to the position. As with all seventh-round picks, there's no guarantee Valentine will make the roster, but he was Mel Kiper Jr.'s best available player at the time the Packers took him and projects him to be a starting cornerback in the league.
Round 7, No. 235 overall (from Detroit through L.A. Rams): Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan
My take: It's possible Aaron Jones and/or AJ Dillon could be entering their final seasons with the Packers. Jones has a huge salary ($12 million) for 2024 and Dillon's rookie contract expires after the 2023 season. The Packers are always looking for a No. 3 running back, and currently, Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson are the only other backs on the roster. Nichols is another player who had better production in 2021 (1,848 yards) than in 2022 (616), which is likely why he was available so late.
Round 7, No. 242 overall (from Jacksonville): Anthony Johnson Jr., S, Iowa State
My take: The Packers could still bring back veteran Adrian Amos, who remains unsigned after his contract expired as free agency opened in March. If not, there's going to be at least one starting safety job open and perhaps two depending on where they decide to play Darnell Savage. Rudy Ford played some at safety last season and is back. So is Tariq Carpenter, a seventh-round pick last season who played just 16 snaps on defense. Veterans Dallin Leavitt and Tarvarius Moore are also safety possibilities, but they're here more for special teams. Johnson played cornerback before switching to safety last year, so he has some versatility.
Round 7, No. 256 overall (compensatory selection): Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte
My take: The Packers started the week with five receivers on the roster and for the second year in a row, GM Brian Gutekunst picked three of them in the same draft. All three of last year's drafted receivers -- Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure -- made the roster. If Gutekunst doesn't sign a veteran, it's possible all three of this year's could make it as well.