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[Green Bay Packers]

2025 NFL Draft: Tory Horton brings speed and route-running in a tall, lean package

Logan Newell/The Coloradoan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After taking a visit to Green Bay last week, Horton could well be heading there long-term soon.

With the 2025 NFL Draft almost upon us, there is one more prospect I need to talk about, so I’m getting this one in just under the wire. And I’m hyped to do it, because today we’re talking about a wide receiver. So let’s dive in and look at Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton.

Tory Horton is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.83 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 66 out of 3815 WR from 1987 to 2025. ras.football/ras-informat...

— Kent Lee Platte (Mathbomb) (@mathbomb.bsky.social) 2025-04-11T22:34:18.372Z

Horton didn’t run through agility testing to round out his athletic testing, so he earns an unofficial 9.4 RAS score, but we can get a pretty good feel for the type of player he is. At 6’2”, 196 lbs, he’s a pretty good size, though slightly on the lighter side (a lot of sites have him listed at 185 lbs). That will come into play a little later.

He’s got good top-end speed. He’s a long-strider and an easy mover. When he gets a bit of grass and is able to open it up, he hits another gear that looks absolutely effortless. That allows him to get late separation down the field.

With no Christian Watson to start the season, the deep speed is certainly a selling point for Horton. I don’t think the Packers have a complete dearth of speed among their wide receivers, but you can never have too much speed, and Horton certainly brings that element. His 40 time was 4.41, and that’s with him coming off a knee injury. His play speed looks even faster.

If you can get him on deep crossers, he can be a real problem for defenses.

He’s an explosive athlete and looks more fast than quick. You don’t truly see him at his best until he can fully utilize his speed. That being said, you’ll see him run quite a few nice whip routes. He sinks quickly and explodes the other way to create separation. Solid change of direction within a route.

He’s a good route-runner with good hands, and also has a good feel for coverages and second-reaction routes.

As I mentioned above, he’s a bit slight of frame, which comes up in a couple ways. The first way is a little more concrete, while the second way is kind of theoretical. Let’s hit the concrete first.

When it comes to this Packers offense, we all know that LaFleur wants his wide receivers to block. “No block, no rock,” and so on. To his credit, Horton knows what he’s supposed to be doing on every play and puts effort into his blocking. But he plays a little tall and doesn’t have the best technique, so he’s pretty easily pushed around.

If he can recover and dig in a bit, he can end up holding the point at times, but there are plenty of examples of Horton getting knocked back when blocking.

But he’s a willing blocker, and that counts for a lot. You can coach technique, but it’s hard to instill a willingness to block if a guy doesn’t have it. If a guy is aware and willing enough to block on a QB scramble, he’s a guy who is willing to take coaching on technique.

Maybe he’ll never be an elite blocker, but he knows where to be, has willingness and can lose slowly. I’ll take that.

Like I said, the other one is theoretical, because we haven’t seen a lot of reps of this on his college tape. Is Horton able to get off press?

Against more physical cornerbacks, he can get pushed downfield and driven to the sideline on vertical routes. He has the ability to fight through contact for contested catches, but he’s not always strong down the field. That is a concern by itself, but it also extends to his release off the line. If he’s facing off in press coverage against a corner who wants to get hands on him, is he able to get a release?

From what I’ve seen, he has a decent release package, but I haven’t seen it enough to know how consistent he can be with it. While it’s true that you can find ways for guys to get free releases in an offense, it’s a tougher task to do that with multiple wide receivers. If you’re already working to get Jayden Reed a free release, I don’t know if adding another guy who struggles in that department is the answer.

To be totally clear here: it’s possible Horton is capable of getting free releases on a regular basis. We just haven’t really seen it, and his lack of physicality down the field gives me a little concern in that department.

The other concern I have with him is his YAC (Yards After Catch) ability. Per PFF, Horton averaged 3.9 YAC/Reception, which tracked with what I saw when watching him. Despite being used on a lot of shallow crossers, he was pretty light in the YAC department. He is pretty shifty, but goes down pretty easily on first contact.

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So what do we have in Tory Horton? We have a guy who profiles as an outside receiver (74.4% of his snaps were on the outside, per PFF). He’s a good, aware route-runner with great speed, good hands (3.8% drop rate in 2024) and a willingness to block. His slight frame and upright style gives me concern against physical corners, both off the line and down the field, as well as his blocking in the run game.

There are times when he’s not on the same page as the QB on some option routes. Some of that is certainly on the QB, but there are enough examples of Horton being off in this department that he’s not going to be an out-of-the-box, every-down option for the Packers.

One thing Horton has going for him is his punt return ability. In his 3 years at Colorado State, he returned 26 punts, averaging 16.3 yards per return and 3 touchdowns.

It might just be because we’re talking about the Packers, but his game reminds me a lot of a less-seasoned Romeo Doubs with more speed. If the Packers aren’t thinking of keeping Doubs past this season, it would make a lot of sense to draft Horton. Use him in some offensive packages in 2025, but mainly use him on special teams while he works to refine his game (and maybe put on a bit of muscle). By the time 2026 rolls around, you could have a fully-formed Tory Horton ready to roll as a key receiver in this offense.

The consensus big board currently has Horton as the #105 player, which puts him in the late-3rd/early-4th range. I would love this pick for the Packers in the late 3rd round. It’s keeping an eye on the future while benefitting in the present.

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Albums listened to: Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes; Julien Baker & TORRES - Send a Prayer My Way; Tunde Adebimpe - Thee Black Boltz; Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire; Magic Shoppe - Mono Lake; Brandtson - Fallen Star Collection

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...eceiver-packers-speed-route-running-tall-lean

 

[Green Bay Packers]

ESPN Nation beat writers drop 1st-round mock draft

Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Defensive ends Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart are reportedly high on the Green Bay Packers’ draft board

Every year, ESPN’s beat writers take turns making selections for the teams they cover for ESPN’s NFL Nation mock draft. This year, Green Bay Packers beat reporter Rob Demovsky made a pick that would be a polarizing selection at 23th overall: Texas A&M edge defender Shemar Stewart.

While Stewart has incredible athleticism and has improved every season that he played at the college level (read our full scouting report here), he doesn’t possess the pass-rushing production that most fans will want out of a first-round pick — with just 4.5 college sacks to his name. Following two years of failed development out of Lukas Van Ness, who was another high upside project defensive end, Packers fans may not want to hear that they’re going to the same well again.

According to Demovsky, though, Green Bay’s preferred candidate for the selection is Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, who comes from a similar background. Playing the 4i defensive tackle technique for most of his college career — the same role that former first overall pick Travon Walker played for the Bulldogs — Williams never recorded more than five sacks in a single season at Georgia.

With Williams gone a dozen picks ahead of the Packers in this mock, Demovsky settled for Stewart, who he claims is the team’s next “preferred” pass rusher is Stewart. That would mean that he would rank ahead of Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku, who was coached by Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley in college, and James Pearce Jr., who made the trip to 1265 Lombardi Avenue on a pre-draft visit.

For what it’s worth, both Williams and Stewart also took visits with the Packers this offseason. Stewart was also coached by defensive quality control coach Wendel Davis at the Senior Bowl, where he served as Stewart’s linebackers/EDGE coach for the American team.

Two decades of passing on a receiver in the first round makes it hard to predict the Packers would finally end that streak even though Emeka Egbuka and Matthew Golden were both available. Their preferred pass rusher would’ve been Mykell Williams, but Stewart is likely next on their board.

Full ESPN Nation Mock Draft​

1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Cleveland Browns: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
3. New York Giants: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
4. New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OL, LSU
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
7. New York Jets: Kelvin Banks Jr., OL, Texas
8. Carolina Panthers: Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
9. New Orleans Saints: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
10. Chicago Bears: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
11. San Francisco 49ers: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
12. Dallas Cowboys: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
13. Miami Dolphins: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
14. Indianapolis Colts: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
15. Atlanta Falcons: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
16. Arizona Cardinals: Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
18. Seattle Seahawks: Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
20. Denver Broncos: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
23. Green Bay Packers: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
24. Minnesota Vikings: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
25. Houston Texans: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
26. Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
27. Baltimore Ravens: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
28. Detroit Lions: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
29. Washington Commanders: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
30. Buffalo Bills: Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Josh Simmons, OL, Ohio State
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss

For what it’s worth, these beat writers aren’t buying into Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan slipping, as he was snatched up by the Dallas Cowboys — a popular place for both McMillan and Texas receiver Matthew Golden to be picked. Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, one of the more popular mock draft selections for the Packers, was picked up one selection before Demovsky was on the clock.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...t-2025-1st-round-green-bay-packers-prediction

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Wednesday Cheese Curds: A quarter million NFL Draft spectators set to descend on Green Bay

Set Number: X163912 TK`1

It’s a smaller draw than other host cities, but then again, it’s a smaller city.

It’s not the 775,000 that took over Detroit for last year’s NFL Draft, but that’s not really a fair comparison. Green Bay, a city of just over 105,000 residents at last count, is set to welcome an estimated 250,000 visitors starting any minute now.

According to Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Brad Toll, “it’s the biggest event that we’ll be able to hold.” Waving off comments about attendance and capacity versus other host cities, Toll added, “all I want to do is create three days for football fans to come together and celebrate the beginning of a new season. We want to make the experience for those young men—whether they’re walking across that stage or joining us remotely—to be as special as we possibly can.” About 15 top draft prospects are expected to attend in person.

Green Bay hosting the draft despite its small size and relative lack of infrastructure is an example of the league’s efforts to incorporate every NFL market in its programming ideas.

But despite conversations about what Green Bay lacks, newcomers will likely be pleasantly surprised at what a well-oiled machine the city becomes on an event day. One doesn’t need to travel far from southeastern Wisconsin to see prime examples of inaccessible and poorly planned game day campuses (cough Chicago cough).

‘This is Green Bay’s Super Bowl’: Packers’ Titletown savors NFL Draft - The stage is set for the 2025 NFL Draft as Green Bay is set to welcome over 250,000 people.

Packers to host virtual draft party Wednesday night - The free virtual live-stream event will feature Packers players.

ICYMI: Packers Go ‘Out of Character’ in Peter Schrager’s NFL Mock Draft -ESPN’s Peter Schrager is a wizard at predicting Super Bowl champions. Will he also be correct about his first-round prediction for the Green Bay Packers?

Jaire to the Raiders on Draft Day? -The Las Vegas Raiders need a cornerback. One report proposes a mid-draft trade for Green Bay Packers mercurial stalwart Jaire Alexander.

Infamous graffiti-laden abandoned boat “Deep Thought” finally being removed - The process to move Deep Thought, a boat stuck on the shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee since October, has begun.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-draft-spectators-set-to-descend-on-green-bay

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Mock Draft 2025: Doubling up on wide receivers with day-2 picks

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

After crashing the work truck in round one, we find a pair of complementary wideouts with the Packers’ second and third-round picks.

With the 2025 NFL Draft finally upon us, it’s time for one last mock draft from APC. I ran this draft using the ESPN Analytics Draft Simulator tool, which I have found to be one of the more reasonable mock draft systems to this point.

There’s little more introduction that needs to be said about a mock here on the eve of the draft itself, so let’s just dive in to the picks.

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Pick #23: Shemar Stewart, edge, Texas A&M​

Let’s talk about the most polarizing potential pick of the first round. I'm fully on board though — give this unit some absolutely filthy athleticism and raw tools and trust your new defensive line coach to unlock his potential (and that of the other players in that position group who have yet to see their production match their athletic abilities).

Pick #54: Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State​

Perhaps the best X receiver in this draft not named Tet, Higgins is a tremendous fit for Green Bay with his size and speed. He'll probably be a day-one starter and though he doesn't have the same top gear that Christian Watson does, he might make Packers fans forget about the latter's absence.

Pick #87: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State​

And now we have our true deep threat. Yes, I went back to back with receivers here, expecting Horton to be more of a Z. He and Higgins can play different roles and get on the field together in two-receiver sets or with Jayden Reed in 11 personnel. Horton remains my top "he will end up a Packer" pick of this draft and I don't think he's on the board when Green Bay is on the clock in round four.

Pick #124: Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia​

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: in round four, the Packers draft a college left tackle who could project as a versatile tackle or guard prospect and who has excellent agility times to give themselves added depth. No, I’m not talking about T.J. Lang. Or David Bakhtiari. Or JC Tretter. Or Zach Tom. Or...well, you get the idea. Milum would be a no-brainer Packers pick here.

Pick #159: Elijah Roberts, DL, SMU​

We already have one big edge player, but let’s double down with Roberts, who weighs in around 285 pounds and could be a candidate to be a designated interior pass-rusher early on in his career. Roberts came to Green Bay for an official visit, and he looks like an ideal mid-round line prospect.

Pick #198: Drew Kendall, OL, Boston College​

We got a tackle with inside-out versatility in Milum; now in the sixth round we find a career interior lineman with an NFL pedigree. In addition to being the son of a ten-year NFL starter (dad Pete), Kendall has a Packers connection, having played as Jeff Hafley’s starting center at BC for multiple years. Like Milum, Kendall also has exceptional lateral movement skills and would be a nice boost to the interior depth.

Pick #237: Jason Marshall, Jr., CB, Florida​

We don’t yet have a cornerback as we reach round seven, and there isn’t much left. Let’s find another player who the Packers had in for a visit in Marshall, who can potentially give the team a bit of depth behind the likes of Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine.

Pick #250: Nazir Stackhouse, DT, Georgia​

We’re getting pretty thin at #250, but with T.J. Slaton departed, we still don’t have someone to help fill the middle as a run-stuffer on the nose. Enter Stackhouse, a 6-foot-4, 327-pounder with decent explosiveness. He’s a Georgia defender, which the Packers love, and we’re taking fliers at this point regardless to finish out the draft class.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...oubling-up-on-wide-receivers-with-day-2-picks

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Latest draft rumors regarding the Green Bay Packers

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

Look for an offensive lineman at #23

In his draft day column, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer claims that offensive line, along with cornerback and receiver, are “in play” for the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2025 draft. This lines up with his previous reporting, when he stated that the Houston Texans are trying to move up from the 25th pick to jump the Packers and Minnesota Vikings — two teams who the Texans believe could take back-to-back offensive linemen ahead of their selection.

The justification for a first-round offensive lineman for the Packers, in Breer’s mind, is to free up Jordan Morgan, the team’s 2024 first-round pick, to compete with Rasheed Walker for the left tackle position in 2025. Last year, Morgan split time with Sean Rhyan at right guard. The assumption is that they would be targeting a right guard in the draft, based on this logic. Aaron Banks, the high-priced free agent signing, is locked into left guard. Elgton Jenkins is moving to center this year. Zach Tom is going to get a top-of-the-market extension at right tackle, at some point.

Rhyan, like Walker and Tom, is in a contract year. With the Packers planning on keeping linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt around long term, likely at a cost of $15 million per year each, they’ll need to shed some players from the 2021 draft class to stay cap solvent. This means potentially avoiding extensions with Rhyan and Walker, the latter of whom should have a market of around $20 million per year based on Dan Moore Jr.’s contract in free agency this offseason.

Beyond just Breer’s report, the Packers are poking around on a potential trade down from the 23rd pick, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Most people view the strength of the draft being the late second round through the early fourth round, in terms of players who typically aren’t available in that range, so Green Bay adding more picks in that range makes sense.

The big question is who wants to trade up after the top 10 selections, as it takes two to tango. As of now, every team owns its original first-round pick, a rarity in the modern draft era.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...kers-news-2025-nfl-draft-rumors-update-latest

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Friday Cheese Curds: Mark Murphy’s victory lap and what Day 2 of the draft has in store.

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Mark Murphy might have missed his calling as a professional wrestling personality.

With an almost WWE-like flair, Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy announced the Packers first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft last night.

“The Green Bay Packers, for the first time since 2002, draft a wide receiver: Matthew Golden, wide receiver, Texas.”

And the crowd goes wild. That’s partially because there were tens of thousands of Packers fans in attendance, many of whom had been no doubt housing $17 cans of Bud Light since midday.

But it’s also because Mark Murphy, who is taking a victory lap as he prepares to hand the reins of the team over to Ed Policy, understood the moment.

Insert your Aaron Rodgers jokes here, but to hear Packers GM Brian Gutekunst tell it, this was one of the only moves that made sense. For what it’s worth, our own Justis Mosqueda agrees.

So, what’s on tap for day 2 (besides expensive Bud Light, that is)?

Picking a wide receiver in round one does put the Packers in an interesting spot, as their other positions of need (cornerback, defensive line, edge, and offensive line) might now be harder to fill.

We’ll leave you with a paraphrase of some sage wisdom from the late Ted Thompson: We’re always looking to add a football player to our football team.”

NFL Draft day 1 recap - If you’ve got a few minutes, enjoy this blow-by-blow of the day’s festivities, including the Packers’ drafting of WR Matthew Golden late in the evening.

Packers end first round WR drought - Matthew Golden is Packers’ first 1st-round WR in over two decades.

Packers nearly traded away first round pick - Reports are that the Philadelphia Eagles were looking to move up a few spots.

Who will Packers select on day 2? - After the selection of Matthew Golden, how will the Grreen BayPackers attack Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday?

Christian Watson’s father sounds off - The WR’s dad is often outspoken on social media, and last night was certainly no different.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-lap-and-what-day-2-of-the-draft-has-in-store

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Green Bay Packers 2025 Draft: News, rumors, mock drafts and selections

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Everything you need to know about the Packers’ 2025 draft selections

Welcome to our 2025 NFL Draft stream, where we’ll be hosting all of our evergreen content that we’ve published this offseason on the draft. This includes our visits tracker, which includes scouting reports or profiles on every player who took a trip to Green Bay, recent notable mock drafts and news and rumors that involve the Packers.

Hopefully, you enjoyed our coverage this offseason. Please bookmark this page. We’ll be updating this stream as the Packers’ selections start to roll in.

As a reminder, below are the selections that Green Bay owns in this draft:

Packers 2025 Draft Picks​

• 1st round, #23: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
• 2nd round, #54: Anthony Belton, OL, North Carolina State
• 3rd round, #87: Savion Williams, WR, TCU
• 4th round, #124
• 5th round, #159
• 6th round, #198
• 7th round, #237
• 7th round, #250

All of the Packers’ selections are their own original draft choices outside of the seventh-round picks. Green Bay traded their original seventh in the Malik Willis trade last summer. They received the 237th overall pick via the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Preston Smith trade. 250th overall was awarded to the team via the compensatory draft pick system, due to their loss of tackle Yosh Nijman in free agency last offseason.

Packers Draft Needs​

As far as the Packers’ draft needs go, the consensus is that they will be targeting a couple of positions early on in the draft: outside receiver (particularly a field-stretcher who could replace the injured Christian Watson), defensive end, defensive tackle (likely a nose tackle considering that general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to extend Devonte Wyatt) and outside cornerback (in part because free-agent signing Nate Hobbs is probably a slot defender). Of the projected top 100 selections that the Packers brought in on pre-draft visits, 15 of 16 came at these four positions — the only exception being Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons.

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Follow along for our draft coverage this week. If you want to participate in the conversation, you can sign up for our comment section with THIS link.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ay-packers-2025-draft-news-rumors-mock-drafts

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers pick pass-rusher Collin Oliver in the 5th round

Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Oliver was picked just one round after Barryn Sorrell

Still no cornerback or defensive tackle, but the Green Bay Packers have drafted back-to-back defenders to start Day 3 of the draft. In the fifth round, the team picked Oklahoma State edge defender Collin Oliver, who was a three-time All-Big 12 player during his college career.

The Packers are clearly going to churn their defensive end room, as the team also spent their fourth-round pick on Texas’ Barryn Sorrell. If I were to guess, this means that five Green Bay ends are going to make the final roster: Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare and the two rookies. Brenton Cox Jr. and Aaron Mosby, who made the 53-man roster last year, now have an uphill battle ahead of them.

Oliver is undersized at 240 pounds, a change up for the Packers’ defensive line room, but he ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and posted a 39” vertical jump at the combine. For what it’s worth, NFL.com had him rated as a sixth-round projection.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...25-collin-oliver-oklahoma-state-defensive-end

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Green Bay Packers 2025 Undrafted Free Agent Tracker: Signings, News and Rumors

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The Packers are going to add more rookies than their eight draft choices. Follow along for the latest in undrafted free agency

The 2025 NFL Draft is over, but the Green Bay Packers aren’t done reshaping their roster. Going into this class, many stated that the deepest portions of this class were going to be in the middle of Day 2, which proved out to be true based on how teams jockeyed for position there, and in undrafted free agency.

At some point in the draft, the Packers hit on all of their key needs. Whether they did enough or not at these positions won’t be known for a couple more seasons, but the team will continue to add competition to their rooms via undrafted free agency.

Follow along as we keep you updated on who has signed where, who the top available UDFAs are and which outstanding Packers visitors remain on the board. For this article, the player rankings we’ll be using are Arif Hasan’s consensus big board, which takes into account of over 100 different big boards that are available to the public.

Top Undrafted Free Agents Available 2025​

• #106: Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas (Packers visitor)
• #119: Xavier Restrepo, WR, Miami (signed with Titans)
• #122: Jared Ivey, EDGE, Ole Miss
• #130: Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas (signed with Falcons)
• #143: Logan Brown, OL, Kansas (signed with Vikings)
• #147: Zy Alexander, CB, LSU (signed with Seahawks)
• #150: Sebastian Castro, S, Iowa (signed with Steelers)
• #166: Seth McLaughlin, OL, Ohio State (signed with Bengals)
• #175: Tommi Hill, CB, Nebraska
• #180: Luke Kandra, OL, Cincinnati (signed with Panthers)
• #184: Jake Briningstool, TE, Clemson (signed with Chiefs)
• #185: Joshua Gray, OL, Oregon State (signed with Falcons)
• #186: Hollin Pierce, OL, Rutgers (signed with Eagles)
• #189: Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State (signed with Falcons)
• #195: Jah Joyner, EDGE, Minnesota (signed with Raiders)

Obviously, Bond is still available because of his outstanding sexual assault case in Frisco, Texas, which he turned himself in for the day after his visit to Green Bay this offseason. He’s a top-100 talent, but if the Packers weren’t comfortable with taking him after bringing him into town leading up to the draft, it’s doubtful they want him in their locker room at all.

Another notable name among the top-200 prospects still available is Kansas offensive lineman Logan Brown, a former five-star recruit who got his start at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to Kansas. Brown is only a one-year college starter, but he ran good scores in the agilities, which the Packers have historically valued — even when the player is an undersized tackle who projects to kick inside at the next level.

Packers Visitors Still Available 2025​

• QB Taylor Elgersma, Wilfrid Laurier (Scouting Report) (Invited to rookie minicamp)
• WR Isaiah Bond, Texas (Scouting Report)
• OL Jacob Bayer, Arkansas State (Profile) (signed with Bills)
• OL Esa Pole, Washington State (Scouting Report) (signed with Chiefs)

The Packers have added nearly 30 players who were originally brought in on pre-draft visits to their team since the 2022 class. To say the least, they tip their hand on the players they are interested in. The fact that four visitors remain after the team selected five visitors in the draft means that these are likely targets for Green Bay in undrafted free agency.

Packers Undrafted Free Agent Signings 2025​

• RB Amar Johnson, South Dakota State

Info: Johnson was the 48th-ranked running back on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s draft board, but he did put up an impressive 4.39-second 40-yard dash at 205 pounds. Johnson ran for 3,1996 yards in his college career for a top-tier FCS program.

• RB Jalen White, Georgia Southern

Info: White was a borderline draftable player for Brugler, coming in 39th at the position. 30 backs in this class received draftable grades. White ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at 205 pounds, so he’s a little slower than Johnson. He ran for over 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns with Georgia Southern, which competes at the Sun Belt level. In his senior year in high school, White set the single-season rushing record in the state of Alabama with 3,517 yards.

• WR Julian Fleming, Penn State

Info: This is a big one for those of you who follow college recruiting. Fleming was a highly rated prospect out of high school, earning five-star status from Scout, Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN. According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, he was the third-ranked high schooler in the class of 2020, only behind future first-rounders Bryan Bresee and Bryce Young. Production never seemed to manifest for Fleming, who recorded just 963 yards over four years at Ohio State and added 176 more over 16 games with the Nittany Lions in 2024. At 6’2” and 208 pounds, he ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash at Penn State’s pro day.

• OL Tyler Cooper, Minnesota

Info: Cooper is Brugler’s 28th-ranked guard and was projected to be a UDFA. He was a two-year starter at left guard for Minnesota, but did play hundreds of snaps at right guard in his career. Despite being 6’5”, he’s projected to play inside at the next level.

• OL J.J. Lippe, Northern Illinois

Info: Northern Illinois is one of the three schools in the Green Bay Packers’ local pro day blueprint, so it’s highly likely the team has already brought him into town to talk ball. Lippe was a three-year contributor for NIU, playing 2,400 snaps at left guard. He’s played all five positions at the college level, lining up at right tackle 297 times, right guard 144 times, center 91 times and left tackle 43 times. He’s 6’5” and 302 pounds.

• OL Brant Banks, Rice

Info: Originally beginning his career at Nebraska as a backup, Banks spent the last two seasons at Rice as a starter. There, he was the starting left guard in 2023 and the starting right tackle in 2024. Over his college career, he’s played every spot but center. He measured in at 6’7” and 306 pounds at Rice’s pro day.

• DT Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia

Info: Stackhouse was actually a more significant contributor to the Bulldogs than his teammate Warren Brinson, who the Packers took in the sixth round. Stackhouse was a three-year contributor at Georgia and was projected to be a fifth- or sixth-round pick, according to Brugler. This makes him one of the best available undrafted free agents in the class, let alone, the defensive tackle position. Between Brinson (315 pounds) and Stackhouse (327 pounds), Green Bay is clearly hoping one of the Bulldogs will solve their nose tackle depth issue behind Kenny Clark.

• LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky

Info: Like Stackhouse, Dumas-Johnson is another highly-regarded free-agent signing. Brugler had him as a borderline draft choice, but others had him higher. At 235 pounds with a 4.60 40-yard dash, he has the NFL frame and speed required at the position. Considering that the Packers only have five significant off-ball linebackers on their roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dumas-Johnson earned a roster spot. He was only a one-year starter at Kentucky after transferring from Georgia, where he was a two-year starter, in 2023.

• CB Tyron Herring, Delaware

Info: Herring is Brugler’s 59th-ranked cornerback in the class. He measured in at 6’1”, 201 pounds and ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He originally began his career at Dartmouth. He’s only played 1,304 defensive snaps in his college career, playing around 370 to 500 a year the last three seasons. He is a true outside cornerback, playing in the slot just seven times in his college career compared to 1,118 snaps outside.

• CB Kahzir “Buggs” Brown, Florida Atlantic

Info: If you can believe it, Brown is a 6’1”, 223-pound cornerback who ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash. Half of the linebackers in college football are smaller than him. He originally started his career at Maine, where he was an All-Conference player. Despite being near linebacker-sized, he’s played almost exclusively outside cornerback, not in the slot or at safety, at the college level.

• S Johnathan Baldwin, UNLV

Info: The most off-the-radar signing the Packers have had, Baldwin is Brugler’s 103rd-ranked safety in the class. He did run a 4.50-second 40-yard dash at 190 pounds, which is a pretty good number for a player of his caliber. According to Pro Football Focus, he only played 92 safety snaps to 664 slot snaps in his final year at UNLV. Calling him a safety is probably a stretch. This is a slot defender.

Note: After taking 8 players in the NFL draft and reportedly signing 11 undrafted free agents, the Packers’ 91-man offseason roster should have oversigned by one player. Either a release is coming, or one of these players was invited as a tryout player rather than signing a contract with the team.

Packers Rookie Tryout Players 2025​

• QB Taylor Elgersma, Willfrid Laurier (Scouting Report)

Info: The Packers brought in Elgersma on a pre-draft visit after passing came coordinator Jason Vrable was Elgerma’s offensive coordinator during a week of Senior Bowl practices. The Canadian product won what is the equivalent of their Heisman Trophy Award, so he has some hardware in his trophy case. When I watched clips of Elgersma, he looked like he had an NFL arm, even if he didn’t possess much mobility. Considering the interest here, I think there’s a good chance Elgersma is signed to the 90-man roster with a good rookie minicamp. The Buffalo Bills also plan on bringing Elgersma in for rookie minicamp.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...nt-tracker-signings-news-rumors-roster-update

 

[Green Bay Packers]

A post-draft look at the Packers’ 91-man roster

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

If the reporting on undrafted rookie free agents is correct, Green Bay’s roster is full

The Green Bay Packers made eight draft selections and have reportedly signed 10 undrafted free agents after the draft, which means that the Packers’ 91-man offseason roster should be filled. Green Bay will host their rookie minicamp soon, which gives an opportunity to tryout players to make the team, but it looks like those guys won’t be signed without a corresponding release from the roster — if the team wants to keep any of them around.

With all that out of the way, let’s dig into the Packers’ current roster. We’ll try our best to list players in the pecking order we expect them to be on the depth chart. If you want to read our 53-man roster prediction, you can find that HERE.

Quarterback: Jordan Love, Malik Willis and Sean Clifford (3)

Quarterback seems a little thin, but head coach Matt LaFleur has mentioned before how hard it is to rep four or five quarterbacks during training camp. With that being said, the Packers are bringing in a Canadian in Taylor Elgersma for a rookie minicamp tryout, so maybe he’s a player who can earn a roster spot. Elgersma was one of the 30 players that Green Bay brought in on a visit.

Running Back: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Emanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks, Amar Johnson and Jalen White (6)

On paper, Chris Brooks and UDFAs Amar Johnson and Jalen White should be fighting for the last roster spot on the team, assuming the Packers keep a fourth running back.

Wide Receiver: Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Mecole Hardman, Bo Melton, Malik Heath, Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Tulu Griffin, Julian Fleming and Christian Watson (13)

Even with Christian Watson extremely likely to start the season on the physically unable to perform list, there are five roster locks on the Packers’ roster at the receiver position. Mecole Hardman, Bo Melton and Malik Heath have all made NFL 53-man rosters, which is why Green Bay apparently hasn’t signed an undrafted free agent — who would want to sign to this crowded room?

Tight End: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Ben Sims, John FitzPatrick, Messiah Swinson and Johnny Lumpkin (6)

The Packers also didn’t touch the tight end position this week. Their top four tight ends return and they added no undrafted players to push Messiah Swinson and Johnny Lumpkin, previous practice squadders. Green Bay is simply running it back here.

Offensive Line: Rasheed Walker, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton, Jacob Monk, John Williams, Kadeem Telfort, Travis Glover, Donovan Jennings, Tyler Cooper, J.J. Lippe, Brant Banks, Marquis Hayes and Trey Hill (17)

There’s so much competition in this room. I’m not sure how many times the Packers have had 17 offensive linemen on the team at the same time. Between splash signing Aaron Banks, two draft picks and three undrafted free agent signings, it’s getting crowded here. The team also returned five of their six significant contributors in 2024 and brought back two reserve 2024 draft picks in Jacob Monk and Travis Glover.

Defensive End: Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Brenton Cox Jr., Arron Mosby, Deslin Aleandre and Jeremiah Martin (9)

While the Packers didn’t make a splash addition at defensive end this offseason, they brought back five players who have made the 53-man roster before and added two mid-round selections via the draft. Competition on the lower end of the depth chart will be fierce, but we’ll just have to see if a rookie or Lukas Van Ness can push Kingsley Enagbare for the starting job opposite of Rashan Gary.

Defensive Tackle: Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, James Ester, Nesta Jade Silvera, Leonard Payne and Keith Randolph (10)

The defensive tackles in this draft went much higher than people expected, which is probably one reason why the Packers didn’t address the position until Day 3. On paper, sixth-round pick Warren Brinson and undrafted free agent Nazir Stackhouse, both University of Georgia products, should compete this summer for the backup nose tackle position behind Kenny Clark. The lack of a starting defensive tackle early in the draft probably means that Clark will move from the starting three-technique to the starting nose tackle, a role T.J. Slaton played last year, and Devonte Wyatt will finally be the full-time starting three-technique for the first time in his NFL career.

Linebacker: Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Kristian Welch and Jamon Dumas-Johnson (6)

The thinnest room the Packers have right now is linebacker. Kristian Welch, who was Green Bay last summer, and undrafted rookie Jamon Dumas-Johnson, considered a draftable player going into this week, will fight for the last roster spot at this position. The Packers must carry five linebackers. They’re more likely to carry six than four into 2025. I wouldn’t be surprised if Green Bay made a move here. I don’t think they want to play Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper or Isaiah McDuffie much in the preseason, considering they already know what they have in those players. That leaves them only three others to get through games with.

Cornerback: Jaire Alexander, Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, Micah Robinson, Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, Tyron Herring, Kahzir Brown, Isaiah Dunn and Kaleb Hayes (11)

The top four cornerbacks are set, as long as Jaire Alexander remains on the team. That fifth- and sixth-cornerback spot should be competitive, though, with seventh-round pick Micah Robinson competing with two 2024 draft picks in Kamal Hadden and Kalen King for a roster spot or two.

Safety: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson, Kitan Oladapo, Omar Brown and Johnathan Baldwin (7)

This is a copy-paste of last year. The Packers returned all five of their contributing safeties and a practice squadder in Omar Brown. Johnathan Baldwin, an undrafted free agent, is being called a safety right now, but he’s primarily a slot defender.

Kicker: Brandon McManus and Alex Hale (2)

Alex Hale is the Packers’ international pathways player, meaning that he’s essentially a free roster spot in the offseason and on the practice squad in-season. He’s no threat to take Brandon McManus’ job, but he’ll probably hang around.

Punter: Daniel Whelan (1)

Daniel Whelan is the Packers’ only punter.

Long Snapper: Matt Orzech (1)

Matt Orzech is the Packers’ only long snapper.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...update-post-draft-2025-depth-chart-projection

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Here’s what every Packers draft pick will look like in a Packers jersey

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

No AI was used in these depictions, just pure raw artistic talent.

Wondering what all 8 Green Bay Packers draft picks are going to look like wearing that green and gold for the 2025 season? WELL, YOU’RE IN LUCK! I, an unprofessional artist, have spent the last few drafts making jersey swaps for the newest Packers. This year, I have once again made my best effort to jersey swap all the Packers' 2025 draft picks so we can see what they’ll look like playing out on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

Important to note, no AI was used in these jersey swaps. It was all by my magical artistical hands.

Round 1 - Pick 23: WR Matthew Golden, Texas

My favorite reaction: “Can’t believe he ran a 4.29 in slippers”. Well played.

Round 2 - Pick 54: T Anthony Belton, North Carolina State

Belt(on) to a**.

Round 3 - Pick 87: WR Savion Williams, TCU

One of his coaches called him a “horse in the wind” in a clip posted to the TCU Twitter/X page.

Round 4 - Pick 124: DL Barryn Sorrell, Texas

Hook ‘em.

Round 5 - Pick 159: DL Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State

I’ll take my opposing QB’s shaken, not stirred. Worth noting the man himself approves of this artwork and even shared it to his Instagram story. And as of writing this post, it is his Twitter/X profile picture. A man with great taste in art.

Round 6 - Pick 198: DL Warren Brinson, Georgia

Another one (defensive player from Georgia)!

Round 7 - Pick 237: DB Micah Robinson, Tulane

DB Micah on DB Micah.

Round 7 - Pick 250: OL John Williams, Cincinnati

*dun dun dun dun-da-dun dun-da-dun*

In my completely unbiased opinion I think they all look fantastic rocking the green and gold, and can’t wait to see the real thing.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-2025-nfl-draft-rookies-jerseys-uniform-swaps

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Report: Packers to sign former 1st-round pick Isaiah Simmons

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Expect Simmons to push for a 53-man roster spot in 2025

FOX Sport’s Jordan Schultz is reporting that the Green Bay Packers will be signing linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was the eighth overall pick of the 2020 draft. Simmons was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, who traded him to the New York Giants in 2023 for a seventh-round pick. He’s spent the last two years in New York, where he played on a one-year, $2,000,000 deal in 2024.

pic.twitter.com/7f0QQOakTX

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) April 28, 2025​

While he started 37 games in Arizona as a hybrid linebacker-safety, he only started five games over the last two seasons with the Giants defensively. Simmons has reshaped his career to be a special-teams ace, playing 370 snaps over two years (185 per year) for New York compared to just 193 snaps over three years (64 per year) with the Cardinals.

Isaiah Simmons was drafted in round 1 with pick 8 in the 2020 draft class. He scored a 9.97 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 2073 LB from 1987 to 2020.

Highly drafted, but didn't live up to the hype. https://t.co/NxJMB6xztp pic.twitter.com/LbEzXjJLQN

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 21, 2025​

At 6’4” and 238 pounds, Simmons has lined up in the box 1,972 times in his career, in the slot 815 times and at a split-out defensive back or safety position just 160 times, according to Pro Football Focus. While his defensive grades haven’t ever been impressive, never cracking a 70 grade on PFF, he had an 88.2 special-teams rating in 2024.

— Isaiah Simmons (@isaiahsimmons25) April 27, 2025​

Simmons visited the Packers before the 2025 NFL Draft, so his addition isn’t out of left field. The team is also only carrying six off-ball linebackers on its 91-man roster, despite general manager Brian Gutekunst stating that the team faced struggles when they only rostered five players at the position in the first year of their 4-3 defensive transition in 2024. In all likelihood, this means that Simmons will probably be brought in to compete with undrafted free agent signing Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who was named an NFL draft sleeper by college coaches, and Kristian Welch, who performed well for Green Bay in the 2024 preseason, for the final spot or two on the linebacker depth chart.

Another name to watch at linebacker is Wyoming’s Connor Shay, who is expected to be the number one pick in the Canadian Football League’s draft on Tuesday. Shay is going to attend the Packers’ rookie minicamp this weekend on a tryout basis. Generally, Green Bay signs a couple of tryout players after the event.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...simmons-signing-linebacker-roster-update-2025

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL Draft: Why the Packers didn’t take a cornerback earlier

Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Trey Amos in the second round was their only opportunity to find value in this class

Yesterday, we described the sort of decision-making tree that the Green Bay Packers had on draft day at the defensive tackle position and why the team didn’t end up selecting a player at that spot — perceived by fans as a position of need — until Day 3. Today, we’re going to go through the same exercise with the cornerback position.

Unlike defensive tackle, which featured plenty of players who made sense for the Packers. Cornerback is another story, either because of health, experience, size or athleticism. Like defensive tackle, though, NFL teams, despite there not being “value” on the board from a consensus board standpoint, continued to hammer at the position to fill individual teams’ needs.

Let’s get into the Packers’ draft day positions.

Day 1​

To no surprise to anyone, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Texas’ Jahdae Barron were both off of the board by the time the Packers were on the clock with their first pick of the draft. Barron was considered a second-round pick by the end of college football’s regular season, but because of the volume of injuries at the position, he was pushed up draft rankings and ultimate settled in at the 16th spot on the consensus board — despite having questions about whether or not he is going to be able to play outside cornerback at the NFL level.

The only cornerbacks who went off of the board between the Packers’ first and second picks in the draft were Michigan’s Will Johnson, Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, so let’s focus on them as potential Day 1 options the team could have taken.

Johnson has a slew of recent injury questions. He was projected to be a top-five talent coming into the year, but missed the second half of the Wolverines’ season with a turf toe injury. Because of hamstring issues, he wasn’t able to run at the combine, his pro day or his private workout at Michigan. More than anything, though, teams were concerned with the long-term health of his knee. We don’t have to pretend here: He was the 13th overall prospect in the draft per the consensus board and fell to the 47th overall pick. A lot of teams were clearly spooked about his medicals, so I hardly blame Green Bay for passing on him.

Another player who was an option here was Hairston, who was taken 30th overall and was ranked the 34th prospect in the class. Hairston has a lot in common with former Packers high draft choices, like Eric Stokes, Kevin King and Damarious Randall. He’s a great straight-line player who is more of an athlete than a cornerback, particularly when asked to tackle players. Hairston was also accused of sexual assault dating back to an incident in 2021, which Bills general manager Brandon Beane was asked about and later stated, “You can’t just take someone’s accounts and think that’s the truth.”

The final player on this list is Morrison, who received first-round hype until he had to pull out of the 2024 regular season with a hip issue. Morrison not only had surgery on his hip this offseason, but it was the second time he’s dealt with a hip problem — the first dating back to high school. As in Johnson’s situation, there were clearly teams who were worried about his medicals, leading to him going a round after his pre-injury draft projections.

Assuming the Packers cleared Johnson and Morrison medically is a stretch, considering how many teams passed on them on draft day. If you want to make the argument that the team should have drafted Hairston, just remember that Matthew Golden was graded at least a half-round better on most public draft boards than the Kentucky product — who also came with off-field baggage.

Day 2​

The second round was arguably the best opportunity for the Packers to address either the cornerback or defensive tackle position in the top 100, with Trey Amos of Ole Miss still being available. Amos was ranked as the 38th overall player in the class and wasn’t taken until the 61st pick. He was the next cornerback off of the board after Morrison’s selection.

Amos surprised many with his 4.4-second 40-yard dash, as he didn’t look like a fast cornerback on film, but what was known for sure was that he had tremendous ball skills. The Packers brought in Amos on a pre-draft visit, so he must have been in consideration for the 54th overall pick, but the team went in a different direction: North Carolina State offensive lineman Anthony Belton, another pre-draft visitor.

Beyond Amos, individually, things were really shaky in the cornerback market on Day 2.

In the third round, we saw Darien Porter, Azareye’h Thomas, Shavon Revel, Justin Walley, Jacob Parrish, Nohl Williams, Caleb Ransaw, Jaylin Smith and Upton Stout come off of the board.

Porter started all of a half-season of college football, despite spending six years at Iowa State. Thomas ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash, well below the average at the position. Revel had concerns about his ACL recovery, which is why he fell from a first-round projection to a mid-third-round pick. The Packers also brought in Revel on a visit, so they were clearly up to date on his situation.

Starting with the 80th overall pick, though, the cornerback market went completely off of the rails. Walley went 106 draft slots above his projection. Parrish, a sub-5’10” cornerback, likely wasn’t even on the Packers’ draft board at all. Williams, Ransaw, Smith and Stout, the third-round picks after Parrish, were collectively “overdrafted” by a combined 273 draft slots versus consensus, an average of over two rounds per player.

There were no top-100 projections at cornerback available for the NFL by the mid-third round, but that didn’t stop teams from taking the next guy on their board. On top of just the value question, Stout was another undersized cornerback who the Packers likely didn’t keep on their draft board at all, and Ransaw only played 15 snaps at outside cornerback over the last two years. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who took Ransaw, have already stated that they’re moving Ransaw from the nickel position to the safety position, not outside cornerback. The last thing the Packers needed, with their current roster, was another nickelback or safety.

---

So what were the Packers’ options? Let’s walk through them round by round.

• Round 1: Take Maxwell Hairston over Matthew Golden, who was graded a half-round better than Hairston.
• Round 2: The only clean cornerback from a size, speed, experience and health perspective that made sense here was Trey Amos, who I probably would have taken in this scenario. We’ll have to monitor how the Amos versus Anthony Belton debate pans out over the next couple of years.
• Round 3: With teams regularly drafting projected fifth-round players in the third round, the board was absolutely nuked at this point. The league irrationally took cornerbacks, one after another, in the third, allowing talent at other positions to fall into Day 3.

So, while we were able to paint a picture of why a defensive tackle didn’t make sense for any of the Packers’ top-100 selections, cornerback has one exception: Amos could have been their second-round pick. I’m not sure why he fell 23 spots below his draft day projection, as off-field or medical concerns weren’t reported on him during the draft cycle, but the Packers were very familiar with him as a draftable option, as they spent time with both him and Belton as pre-draft visitors.

Beyond Amos, though, I don’t think Green Bay had many realistic options at cornerback. There weren’t many clean cornerback prospects in this draft, and healthy cornerbacks across the board were overdrafted. Beyond Johnson, Morrison and Revel, the players with medical concerns, the nine cornerbacks taken on Day 2 were overdrafted a collective 339 draft slots versus their consensus board rankings, more than a round on average. The only “value picks” were Amos and Thomas, the latter who ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash.

You can’t stop teams from overdrafting players you’d take later in the draft. The Packers were more than content to let other teams reach for cornerbacks who no one projected going on Day 2 of the draft, rather than forcing a pick at the position. The argument on spending the second-round pick on Amos is valid to me, but that was their only meaningful opportunity to actually turn in a card at the position in the first four or five rounds of the draft.

Here’s a fun hypothetical, though: How high would have Carrington Valentine, the projected starting outside cornerback opposite of Keisean Nixon if the team actually does move on from Jaire Alexander, gone in class? Personally, I think he would have ranked right behind Amos and gone in the late second or early third round before the cornerback cliff hit. Remember, Valentine is only 23 years old, only two months older than first-round pick Jahdae Barron, has 19 NFL starts to his name and isn’t limited athletically. Keep that in mind coming out of this cornerback class.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-nfl-draft-analysis-cornerback-market-reaches

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Wednesday Cheese Curds: Pick your favorite Packers draft pick from 2025

Photo by CFP/Getty Images

Who takes your top honors?

Nobody knows if any of the eight players the Packers selected last week are going to be any good. Even the closest thing to a sure thing — which is probably first round pick Matthew Golden — still has to make the uncertain leap to the NFL, find a role on the Packers’ offense, and make his way through the process of becoming a professional football player.

But there’s a lot to like from Green Bay’s 2025 draft class. So who’s your favorite?

I lean toward the obvious answer, circling back to Golden. He’s just fun! I don’t know if the on-field performance always matches up with his 4.29-second 40-yard dash, but he’s plenty quick and has a knack for grabbing every pass that comes his way. His hands seem to be a pretty clear upgrade for a receiver room that desperately needed more consistency doing their most important job: just catching the ball.

I’ve also enjoyed learning about Golden’s Texas teammate Barryn Sorrell. How can you not love the story of his draft weekend or his clear love for his family? Maybe that makes me a sucker for a heartstring-tugging story, but I’m okay with that.

What do you like? Anthony Belton and his massive size and strength? Savion Williams and his blend of athleticism and utility? There’s plenty to like in this year’s class and just about anyone can be a favorite.

Favorite picks from Packers 2025 draft class | Packers Wire​

The crew at Packers Wire runs down their favorite selections.

Here’s an interesting fact about each Green Bay Packers 2025 NFL Draft pick | Packers News​

Notable nuggets about each 2025 draft pick.

Todd McShay on Packers No. 1 Pick Matthew Golden: Win for Jordan Love | Sports Illustrated​

The Matthew Golden pick earns high marks from Todd McShay.

5 things to know about new Packers LB Isaiah Simmons | Packers.com​

The Packers added Isaiah Simmons in the aftermath of the draft, and he’ll wear number 28 for Green Bay.

Source: Still a chance Jaire Alexander remains with Packers | ESPN​

Justis covered the latest Alexander news here, but there are plenty of additional nuggets in the original report.

NHL players are all about pregame routine, whether it’s naps, walking the dog or eating same meal | Associated Press​

Much like a professional hockey player, my ideal daily routine also includes taking a nap and eating a large amount of pasta.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ck-your-favorite-packers-draft-pick-from-2025

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Thursday Cheese Curds: Packers’ rookies get ready for first practices this weekend

Set Number: X164374 TK1

The coaching staff will get their first looks at the rookie class on the field this Friday and Saturday.

For Matthew Golden, the wait between becoming a Green Bay Packer and his first practice will be 8 days. For other members of the 2025 rookie class, that wait is a week or less. Yes, rookie minicamp is almost here, as the Packers will hold their first practices for their draft picks, undrafted free agent signings, tryout players, and first-year returning players starting on Friday.

It will be the first chance for the team’s coaching staff to get a look at this crop of rookies and to begin installing basic components of the team’s schemes. The mental aspect of minicamp is just as important as the on-field work for the players who are already signed to the roster, as it’s their first chance to get a playbook and start learning the nuances of Matt LaFleur’s offense or Jeff Hafley’s defense.

Meanwhile, this camp also serves as an opportunity for tryout players to demonstrate that they deserve a spot on the 91-man roster. The Packers often sign a couple of those tryout players to contracts, and that may well be the case again this year.

Stay tuned on Friday for news about which players will be participating and for a first look at these players in their new green and gold uniforms.

When will the newcomers be in Green Bay for Packers rookie minicamp? | Packersnews.com
Rookie camp gets underway right away this weekend, with practices on Friday and Saturday.

Packers Draft Pick Anthony Belton’s Coach: ‘Freak Athlete’ with Intelligence | SI.com
One of the players who will be on the field this weekend, the team's second-round pick, saw his football IQ jump "from maybe a 1 or 2 to a 9" in just two years, according to his college offensive line coach.

Top 10 games of 2025 season: Chiefs-Bills, Vikings-Seahawks rank high on upcoming NFL schedule | NFL.com
Packers-Steelers is on this list, partially because of the possibility that a certain quarterback might sign with Pittsburgh, but also because both rosters will make for some interesting matchups.

NFL Draft grades: An analytical look at the biggest winners and losers - The Athletic ($)
This analysis suggests that the Packers had one of the better drafts based on positional value, players' ranks against consensus, and value added in trades.

5 things to know about new Packers LB Isaiah Simmons | Packers.com
Here's a quick primer on the Packers' newest free agent addition, who should be competing for a special teams and backup roster spot.

Lufthansa Flight Forced to Land in Boston After iPad Gets Trapped in Passenger Seat | Verdaily
Please be careful with your tablets, folks - otherwise you might force a LA-to-Munich flight to land in Boston instead.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...rookie-minicamp-get-ready-for-first-practices

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers took risks with their 5th-year option decisions

Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Green Bay failed to reach extensions with former first-round picks Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt

Ideally, teams would rather get long-term extensions done with players as early as possible. If you’ve been following how the Philadelphia Eagles built their championship roster, one of their core principles is to pay their players as soon as they’re eligible for extensions — due to the current NFL salary cap landscape.

At the moment, the salary cap is rising about $20 million to $25 million per year, which is expected to continue until new television contracts come up in 2029. By then, streaming services, which now have better tracking data on NFL viewership, will be major players and should lead to a massive boom for the league — potentially at the cost of consumers’ pockets.

With all that being said, it was really interesting that neither linebacker Quay Walker or defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt were able to reach long-term extensions with the Packers ahead of their fifth-year option deadline date. Previously, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst stated that he was hoping to keep both of these players around for the 2026 season and beyond. Instead, Wyatt was kept on his fifth-year option, and Walker had his option declined.

As we’ve written before, the fifth-year option is just below the market price for these players, which is projected to be $15 million per year based on contracts that were signed by similar free agents this offseason. If that’s tough to believe, just remember this: Because everyone has cap space, teams have no issues keeping their stars; Because stars aren’t seeing free agency, non-Pro Bowl starters are seeing the biggest gains in the market. This should only continue through 2029, again, due to the rapid rises we’re seeing in the salary cap.

For context on the Walker and Wyatt front, one-year starter Jamien Sherwood signed a $15 million per year contract to remain a linebacker with the New York Jets this offseason. Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who has started just 13 games over five NFL seasons, also received $15 million per year this season.

Look no further than one of the Packers’ expiring contracts this past offseason, T.J. Slaton, for perspective on the rising costs of role players. Slaton was a run-down only nose tackle for Green Bay last year and received a deal worth $7.05 million per year with the Cincinnati Bengals.

And while it might be nice to sit back and think, “Well then just use the money on more valuable free agent contracts,” the truth is that among 2022 draft picks — considering the Packers’ upcoming cap crunch — some of the top players coming off of rookie contracts next free agency might already be Green Bay’s players: Rasheed Walker, Quay Walker, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. The Packers will get comp picks in return for them signing elsewhere, but only if they don’t spend money in free agency.

Some might be willing to wait on Walker’s situation, as he played much better toward the end of the 2024 season than he had previously in his career, but that waiting also gives the NFL linebacker market to rise, too. Terrell Bernard, Devin Lloyd and Nakobe Dean all are going into the final seasons of their rookie contracts, too, and there’s no promise that the going rate of $15 million per year for a young starting linebacker doesn’t get pushed up even further — even though the Packers backed out of a $14.75 million fifth-year option number.

If anything, I expected Green Bay to hit Walker with the fifth-year option and decline Wyatt’s, considering Wyatt has only started five games in his Packers career. Green Bay’s plan moving forward, clearly, is for Wyatt to be their three-technique defensive tackle of the future. That pushes Kenny Clark to nose tackle, his natural position, but Clark is also a player whom the Packers can gain the most cap space from in 2026 with a release. Unfortunately, Green Bay wasn’t able to come away with a backup nose tackle behind Clark in a deep defensive tackle, because of how many players were “overdrafted” at the position, until the sixth round. There’s no promise that the 2026 draft will present a better crop of nose tackles or that teams won’t “overdraft” players at the position again.

There’s a scenario where the Packers go into the 2026 offseason, well above the salary cap already, need to shed Clark’s cap number, let Walker walk, have no long-term commitments from Wyatt and will be a virtual non-factor in free agency. In short, there’s a lot of long-term volatility in the spine of the team’s defense right now, and the fact that Gutekunst couldn’t ink long-term extensions with either of his 2022 first-round picks, even after stating that was his goal before the draft, only is going to add fuel to that fire.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...fth-year-option-analysis-salary-cap-2025-2026

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers’ 2025 draft sets up an interesting battle among edge rushers

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There’s a lot at stake on the edge and tons of contenders for crucial snaps.

The Packers’ 2025 draft class is interesting in many ways, but one of the most interesting aspects of it is the position battles it sets up. The Packers didn’t come out of the draft with a single prospect who’s immediately going to be the absolute top dog at his position.

Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, for instance, are noteworthy additions at receiver, but neither one is going to have to be “the guy” from the jump. They’re joining a position group that was already fairly well stocked, even if there were plenty of question marks at that spot going into the draft. How Golden and Williams integrate into the existing receiver pecking order will be fascinating to watch.

But it’s nothing compared to what’s happening at edge rusher.

Yes, the Packers only added two day three picks to their edge rusher group, but the position battle created by adding Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver is going to be something to behold.

It starts with Lukas Van Ness, the biggest name on the depth chart other than Rashan Gary. It’s safe to call Van Ness a disappointing draft pick through his first two seasons, but it’s still possible he could turn things around — after all, he has about as much athletic ability as anyone could possibly ask for. And the stakes are high for Van Ness: the Packers will have to decide on his fifth-year option after this season. Right now, the answer to that question is probably a firm no, but I’m sure Brian Gutekunst would love to be convinced otherwise.

Kingsley Enagbare, meanwhile, has an even more pressing set of contract circumstances to navigate. Namely, he’s a free agent after this offseason. He’ll likely want every possible opportunity to make a good impression on the free market, meaning the stakes are high for the 2022 draft pick. Now he has two more contenders to hold off, and every snap he loses to one of them is a potential missed opportunity for a big payout.

And it’s not just the two draft picks that will be hounding Van Ness and Enagbare. Aaron Mosby and Brenton Cox, both former undrafted free agents, will be doing all they can to earn playing time — and they earned quite a bit last year. Following Preston Smith’s departure via trade, it was Mosby and Cox, not Lukas Van Ness, who picked up the bulk of the newly available snaps. They were both impressive in their own ways in limited playing time last season, and it’s hard to imagine either one will go quietly in the face of new competition.

And then, of course, come Sorrell and Oliver. Sorrell was one of the great stories of the 2025 NFL Draft, showing up in Green Bay on his own dime and then getting the experience of a lifetime when the Packers picked him. But he’s more than that: he’s rare athlete at his positions among all possible prospects, to say nothing of guys taken on the last day of the draft, and he actually pairs that athleticism with a decent bit of productivity, an exceedingly rare combo for a day three pick.

Oliver, meanwhile, is an entertaining outlier. While the Packers have historically gravitated toward big, powerful edges, Oliver is small and quick, pairing pass rushing burst with a physical profile more at home among off-ball linebackers. Even if he’s just different from the rest of the Packers’ pass rushers, that’s enough to be interesting.

I expect this is going to be a wild competition to watch. There is a ton at stake for the top-end of the depth chart, but the bottom has everything to play for, too — with the added upside of elite athleticism and the chance to hit the ground running in a scheme that can maximize their skills. It’s going to be fun to see, and I can’t wait for training camp to get here.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...s-up-an-interesting-battle-among-edge-rushers

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers spend big guaranteed money on undrafted rookie

Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Green Bay thinks they got something in UNLV’s Johnathan Baldwin

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky broke the news on Friday that the Green Bay Packers guaranteed cornerback Johnathan Baldwin, an undrafted rookie signing, $115,000. For reference, the Packers’ seventh-round pick John Williams is only guaranteed $101,672 on his four-year rookie contract, per Over the Cap.

Green Bay isn’t known for guaranteeing a lot of money to undrafted rookie free agents, though, other teams do somewhat break the bank. It’s not uncommon for other NFL teams to spend in the ballpark of $300,000 in guaranteed money for their top undrafted free agent rookie.

So the Packers must like Baldwin, who was originally announced in media reports as a safety before being listed by the team as a cornerback. In truth, Baldwin is neither, as he was primarily a slot defender for UNLV. For perspective, Baldwin played 664 snaps in the slot in 2024 for the Rebels and only 92 snaps at safety. Baldwin is one of three cornerbacks the teams signed in undrafted free agency, along with Delaware’s Tyron Herring and Florida Atlantic’s Kahzir “Buggs” Brown.

While their contract details have yet to be reported, two other defenders who may have received decent guarantees by the team are Georgia defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse and Kentucky linebacker Jamon Johnson (formerly Jamon Dumas-Johnson), who were frequently graded as draftable players on analysts’ big boards.

At the moment, there are only four cornerbacks who are considered “roster locks” on the Packers’ 2025 roster: Jaire Alexander, Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine. That’s with the assumption that Alexander will return to the team, which still remains up in the air. Green Bay also drafted Micah Robinson in the seventh round out of Tulane, but they also drafted Kalen King in the seventh round in 2024, and he never made the 53-man roster. King spent the 2024 season on the Packers’ practice squad, along with fellow rookie Kamal Hadden, who was picked in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ster-update-johnathan-baldwin-cornerback-unlv

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers’ 2025 rookie minicamp roster revealed

Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

38 players are participating this weekend.

The Green Bay Packers get rookie minicamp fully underway on Saturday, with a pair of practices for their first-year players and tryout participants. The roster for this year’s camp consists of 38 players split across four different categories, and has been posted to Twitter by several members of the Packers’ media.

Here is a look at the full roster for the weekend, broken down into those four groups.

2025 Draft Picks (8)​

• WR Matthew Golden, #22 (#23 overall pick)
• OL Anthony Belton, #71 (#54 pick)
• WR Savion Williams, #83 (#87 pick)
• DE Barryn Sorrel, #99 (#124 pick)
• DE Collin Oliver, #45 (#159 pick)
• DT Warren Brinson, #91 (#198 pick)
• CB Micah Robinson, #26 (#237 pick)
• OL John Williams, #73 (#250 pick)

2025 Undrafted Rookie Signings (10)​

• RB Jalen White, #35 (Georgia Southern)
• S Kahzir “Buggs” Brown, #35 (FAU)
• CB Johnathan Baldwin, #37 (UNLV)
• RB Amar Johnson, #46 (South Dakota State)
• CB Tyron Herring, #46 (Delaware)
• LB Jamon Johnson, #48 (Kentucky)
• OL Tyler Cooper, #60 (Minnesota)
• OL J.J. Lippe, #61 (Northern Illinois)
• OL Brant Banks, #72 (Rice)
• DT Nazir Stackhouse, #93 (Georgia)

Tryout Players (11)​

These players are participating in rookie minicamp on a tryout basis only. They are not under contract, but the Packers often release a few players on the roster to sign a handful of tryout players following rookie camp.

• K Gavin Stewart, #2 (Georgia Southern)
• QB Taylor Elgersma, #6 (Wilfrid Laurier)
• P Brendan Hall, #9 (Montana State)
• WR Jack Studer, #17 (UW-La Crosse)
• LB Xander Mueller, #34 (Northwestern)
• LB Luke Gunderson, #43 (Northern State)
• LB Connor Shay, #50 (Wyoming)
• DL Van Fillinger, #53 (Utah)
• LS Gage King, #54 (Central Florida)
• WR Jaden Smith, #80 (Nevada)
• WR Ali Jennings, #85 (Virginia Tech)

First-Year Returning Players (9)​

Players who have not been credited with a full season of experience on an NFL roster are eligible to participate in rookie minicamps. The Packers have several of these players, many of whom were members of the team’s practice squad last season. Some others were signed to reserve/futures contracts at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

• CB Kalen King, #34
• CB Kamal Hadden, #36
• CB Kaleb Hayes, #41
• TE Johnny Lumpkin, #43
• DE Deslin Alexandre, #49
• DE Jeremiah Martin, #51
• DT Keith Randolph, #60
• OL Donovan Jennings, #67
• DT James Ester, #98

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...picks-udfas-tryout-players-first-year-players

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Weekend Open Thread

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Feel free to get your rants off

Since it’s starting to get slower around here, at least until training camp officially kicks off in late July, we decided we’re going to bring open threads back for the weekend. Feel free to rant and rave about whatever you want, be it the Green Bay Packers’ draft class or another subject.

Here’s what I’m thinking about:

Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice had just one defensive tackle graded as a top-25 prospect on his way-too-early list for the 2026 draft. The player was Peter Woods of Clemson, rated the number one player on his board. I know it’s entirely too early to make the claim that the upcoming draft is stronger at one position or another, but the fact that the Packers might not have a first-round option next year, when they’ll probably want to get out of Kenny Clark’s $21.5 million in cash due, is a little concerning to me.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2025/5/3/24422884/weekend-open-thread-may-3-2025