2023 NFL Draft Recap: Green Bay Packers

The 2023 NFL Draft has concluded after months of scrutiny about these prospects, potential landing spots, team and scheme fits, and so on. Now we get to start the entire process all over again now that we have team landing spots for these college prospects with their new NFL teams.

Today, we tackle the Green Bay Packers and how they fared in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Green Bay's 2023 NFL Draft Selections:

  • Round 1, Pick 13 - Lukas Van Ness, OT, Iowa
  • Round 2, Pick 42 - Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon St.
  • Round 2, Pick 50 - Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan St.
  • Round 3, Pick 78 - Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota St.
  • Round 4, Pick 116 - Colby Wooden, LB, Auburn
  • Round 5, Pick 149 - Sean Clifford, QB, Penn St.
  • Round 5, Pick 159 - Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Virginia
  • Round 6, Pick 179 - Karl Brooks, LB, Bowling Green
  • Round 6, Pick 207 - Anders Carlson, K, Auburn
  • Round 7, Pick 232 - Carrington Valentine, CB, Kentucky
  • Round 7, Pick 235 - Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan
  • Round 7, Pick 242 - Anthony Johnson Jr., S, Iowa St.
  • Round 7, Pick 256 - Grant Dubose, WR, Charlotte

The 2023 Fantasy Football Impact:

There's a lot to unpack here as the Packers drafted a ton of offensive players. The Packers drafted three wide receivers, two tight ends, plus a quarterback and running back. Green Bay typically drafts multiple players at a skill position hoping to get a big hit and a contributor. Historically, this has worked out in the past:

  • 2017 (RB): Jamaal Williams (4th), Aaron Jones (5th), Devante Mays (7th)
  • 2018 (WR): J’Mon Moore (4th), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (5th), Equanimeous St. Brown (6th)
  • 2022 (WR): Christian Watson (2nd), Romeo Doubs (4th), Samori Toure (7th)
  • 2023 (TE): Luke Musgrave (2nd), Tucker Kraft (3rd)
  • 2023 (WR): Jayden Reed (2nd), Dontayvion Wicks (5th), Grant Dubose (7th)

Musgrave profiles as more of the combo tight end that can block a little bit and Kraft is more of the move tight end that could be a slot option. That's not to discount Musgrave's athleticism — he has a 94th-percentile speed score per PlayerProfiler. Musgrave should get the first crack at the starting gig, but it wouldn't surprise me if Kraft was the better fantasy option. We've seen it before: a few seasons ago as the Ravens drafted tight end Hayden Hurst in the first round and then selected Mark Andrews in the third round of the same draft.

Reed was a quick riser throughout the draft process and the Packers' history of drafting second-round receivers is heralded by their fans with Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb, and most recently, Christian Watson. The Packers value versatility in playing all three positions as a wide receiver and Reed can do that. We'll see if he can work his way into three-receiver sets for the Packers with Watson and Romeo Doubs, but as a late-round best-ball pick, he's a solid investment. 

Clifford's selection was met with some derision but he seems like the prototypical backup quarterback pick in case something happens to Jordan Love.

The rest of the draft picks are developmental picks and aren't fantasy-worthy options at this stage. Carlson, the brother of current Raider Daniel Carlson, is not as good as his brother is in the kicking game, and hasn't made a 50-yard field goal since 2020. Current Packers kicker Mason Crosby at his advanced age may still be the better kicker, but the Packers brought in actual competition for the first time.

Follow Kevin Tompkins on Twitter @ktompkinsii!

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