The 2023 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27 as the first round picks are announced. The second and third rounds take place on Friday, and the whole thing wraps up with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday. TGH will be taking a quick look at the first few picks for some teams, and shedding some light on what direction they will go. Here is the Green Bay Packers NFL Draft profile for 2023.
**Note: At time of writing, Aaron Rodgers has not been traded. If/when he is, look forward to an updated version of this profile on our site**
Team Needs
The Packers need to support Jordan Love in his first season as a starter. Now, the team has been allergic to taking supplementary offensive pieces in the first round, but that is truly what Green Bay needs since the front office won’t sign any free agents of note. The defense could use a little more pass rush and safety help, also. Yes, they’ve drafted defensive players highly in recent years to middling results. But another talented young piece and a better scheme could pay dividends.
First Round
Pick #15: Jaxon-Smith Njigba, WR, Ohio State
At this point, the Packers front office will probably just take an edge rusher or offensive lineman with their first pick just to watch fans’ heads explode. But that is not what they should do with this pick, full stop. They need to take another offensive piece that can grow with Love as he takes the reins.
Given that four of the top-15 teams will be taking a quarterback and at least three others need top-flight defensive talent, the Packers could possibly have their pick of the first round wide receivers. They couldn’t go wrong with Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers or even Jordan Addison (which would be a bit of an overdraft). Hell, they could even pick Michael Mayer as a pass catcher for Love since Robert Tonyan left.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is listed as their first pick here simply because he’s pro ready. He’s good when pressed or when the defense is playing zone. He comes from a high flying offense, and he’s a reliable pass catcher. And his dedicated route running could serve as a different kind of outside threat as Christian Watson. As stated above, though, there are a lot of first round talents that could work here.
Second Round
Pick #45: Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
Again, this profile is operating under the assumption that the Packers actually want to set up Jordan Love for success. So, they’re going for two team needs/pass catchers in a row, against all previous knowledge of how the Packers have been building teams in recent years.
Musgrave is big and athletic, and while his specific route running isn’t anything to write home about, he can block, catch passes off of the line or line up in the slot. He wasn’t utilized enough in Oregon State’s offense, which led to some less-than impressive college numbers, but he could still be TE1 right away.
Third Round
Pick #78: Jordan Battle, S, Alabama
Coming back down to Earth a little bit, all Packers fans know that Brian Gutekunst loves his defensive players from successful college programs. Jordan Battle could be another one of those kinds of picks in 2023.
Battle played through his senior year at Alabama, so he’s seasoned at the safety position, which Green Bay needs desperately. He’s an incredibly smart player that finds himself in positions to make impressive plays. The Packers need a true rock at the safety position after some abysmal play last year, and Battle could well be the defensive quarterback they’re looking for.
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