After taking Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan with their first-round pick on Thursday night, the Packers added four players on Day 2 with a pair of selections in both the second and third round.
Texas A&M inside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and Georgia safety Javon Bullard give the Packers two potential Week 1 starters on defense, while USC running back MarShawn Lloyd provides a different skill than that of AJ Dillon and could compete for the No. 2 job behind Josh Jacobs. General manager Brian Gutekunst added Missouri inside linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper with his final pick of the night for more depth at a position Green Bay needed it.
GO DEEPER
Packers solidify defense by adding two potential starters at positions of need
Entering Day 3 of the draft, the Packers went from six picks to eight after trading back four spots from No. 41 in the second round with the Saints while adding a fifth- and sixth-round pick. They now own a pick in the fourth round, back-to-back picks in the fifth, three in the sixth and two in the seventh. In just the last two drafts, Green Bay has found the likes of wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, defensive lineman Karl Brooks, cornerback Carrington Valentine, wide receiver Romeo Doubs, right tackle Zach Tom and left tackle Rasheed Walker on Day 3.
Here are 20 of the best players available at positions of need for Green Bay who could be the Packers’ next diamonds in the rough, grouped by position.
Interior offensive line
The Packers look OK for depth at offensive tackle with Walker, Tom, Andre Dillard and Morgan, but they need to address their depth on the interior. As it stands, Elgton Jenkins is at left guard, Josh Myers at center and Sean Rhyan at right guard, with Morgan as potential competition (Tom can play inside, too). Royce Newman serves as the main depth piece right now. Not great. Gutekunst will surely beef up the interior with at least two players on Day 3.
Scouting reports are from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler
Christian Mahogany, OG, Boston College
Mahogany needs to play with more control, especially in space, to survive versus NFL defenders, but he plays like a bouncer outside of a club, looking to bash heads with power and forceful hands. He projects as a guard-versatile NFL starter, ideally suited for a downhill run team.
Tanor Bortolini, C, Wisconsin
Bortolini had persistent hiccups on his 2023 tape, but the guard-to-center transition is rarely immediate, and he offers encouraging upside, thanks to his fluidity, intelligence and technical skill. He projects as an eventual NFL starter with position flexibility across the interior.
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia
Van Pran-Granger has NFL play strength, especially in the run game, and his coaches rave about his leadership and smarts, but he might struggle when caught in any situation that calls for him to play in space. He is equipped to compete for immediate starting reps in the right situation.
Mason McCormick, OG, South Dakota State
McCormick doesn’t consistently play up to his testing numbers, but he has good eyes and feet in pass protection and outstanding physicality in the run game. He projects as a Day 1 backup (at all three interior line positions) who can become a starter with more coaching.
Edge rusher
One of the Packers’ top two reserve edge rushers last season, Kinsgley Enagbare, will miss a chunk of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL in the playoffs against the Cowboys. If the Packers aren’t high on 2023 undrafted outside linebacker Brenton Cox Jr., they’ll need a fourth edge rusher to join the rotation of Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness. You can never have enough capable pass rushers and Gutekunst has plenty of chances to add one on Saturday who might play significant snaps in 2024.
Austin Booker, Kansas
Booker is lacking in body mass and overall experience (just 505 career college snaps), but he is an ascending player with the ability to maximize his athletic traits and body length/force with proper biomechanics. With his tools and instincts, he projects as a rotational player in Year 1 with the potential to become an impact starter.
Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
Murphy’s lack of length and desired size will be tougher to mask at the next level, but he was a pass-rushing nuisance in college, because of his skilled hands and quick feet. He has the juice to make an impact as a subpackage rusher who can also play on special teams.
Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
Kamara doesn’t have the ideal size or length, but his physicality and energetic athleticism shouldn’t be discounted for the right role. He projects as a high-effort rotational edge rusher and a poor man’s Ogbo Okoronkwo.
Cedric Johnson, Ole Miss
Johnson is still learning how to build an efficient rush sequence, but he has interesting athletic tools, and an NFL team should be able to coach more out of him. Although he might never reach three-down-starter status, he can develop into a serviceable subpackage rusher.
Cornerback
At this stage of the draft, it seems the Packers are set on starting Jaire Alexander and either Valentine or Eric Stokes at outside cornerback. They probably aren’t finding a rookie starter on Day 3, though it’s possible given Valentine held his own as a seventh-round rookie last season. At the very least, the Packers probably need another body in the room alongside the aforementioned three and Corey Ballentine for depth.
T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
Tampa gets a little sticky with his footwork at the top of routes, but he doesn’t lose much separation and plays with the size, range and ball skills to be disruptive. He has the tools and potential to be a starting perimeter cornerback in various schemes.
DJ James, Auburn
James won’t be a fit for every scheme, because of his undersized build, but his quick feet will help him maintain phase in coverage. If he can handle big slots and improve his consistency as a tackler, he will compete for a starting nickel role in the NFL.
Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
Carson needs to prove he can stay healthy and be on the field for a full season, but he has the competitive athleticism and football IQ needed for coverage duties in the NFL. He offers inside-outside versatility and projects as an eventual NFL starter.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Louisville
Brownlee’s aggressive nature will be a double-edged sword versus seasoned NFL athletes, but his movement skills and competitive toughness will be attractive qualities for defensive coordinators. He has the right mentality to play special teams and compete for a starting nickel role early in his career (shades of Cobie Durant).
Quarterback
This position is only on the list because Gutekunst said at the combine he wants to get back to drafting multiple quarterbacks. He finds developing young players at the most important position invaluable. Jordan Love is entrenched as the starter and about to get a massive payday, and the team sounds thrilled with what Sean Clifford provides as a backup. If there’s any team that values insurance policies at the position, however, it’s this one.
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Rattler has a methodical play style and needs to be more urgent in his movements/reads, but he has the arm talent, self-confidence and work habits that give him a fighting chance to work his way up an NFL depth chart. He offers upside at the position, but the interview process will be crucial to his draft grades.
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Pratt might not have the high-level physical traits to carry an NFL offense, but you don’t see panic in his game, and he has natural sense for where to go with the football. He projects as a quality NFL backup with starting upside in the right role.
Devin Leary, Kentucky
Leary has NFL-level arm talent and the tools required to fight for a reserve role, but the consistency of his timing and accuracy must improve to convince a pro coaching staff he is worth a spot.
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Milton has the physical tools that scream first-round pick, but his passing instincts and ability to read the field are undeveloped. He is a project quarterback prospect, and some teams believe he will eventually transition to tight end in the NFL (similar path as Logan Thomas).
Miscellaneous
Perhaps the Packers want to take a flier on another Day 3 wide receiver to increase competition in a room that already appears set or add the most electric specialist in college football. Below are a couple of intriguing prospects at positions that may not be of pressing need, but ones that might fit a “best player available” mold or simply catch the eye of a scout or executive for whatever reason.
Brenden Rice, WR, USC (Jerry Rice’s son)
Rice must continue working on the finer points to beat press coverage and get open versus NFL corners, but he has the size/speed athleticism and hand-eye coordination to become a better pro than a college player. He projects as a backup X/Z receiver with down-the-road starting potential.
Tory Taylor, P, Iowa
The top-ranked specialist in the 2024 draft class, Taylor set an NCAA-record with 4,479 punting yards in 2023, which earned him unanimous All-America honors and the Ray Guy Award. He also finished his career with the Iowa records for career punts (295) and punt yardage (13,657). Taylor has both the leg strength and accuracy to become one of the better punters in the NFL.
Gabe Hall, DT, Baylor
Hall boasts disruptive traits (explosiveness, power, length) that jump off the screen, but he is too much of a flash player and needs further development to better impact the game on a down-to-down basis. He projects as a rotational three- or five-technique with starting upside, if he finds better consistency with NFL coaching.
Tanner McLachlan, TE, Arizona
McLachlan is a good-sized athlete who can shine at the catch point with his strong ball skills, although his development with routes and run blocking will determine his NFL ceiling. He projects as a reserve tight end with a chance to be a long-term contributor.
(Photo of Austin Booker: Scott Winters / Associated Press)
