Biggest Draft Needs: Offense

It’s difficult to think of a year this century when the Packers went into a draft with so many glaring needs at so many positions. With the exceptions of quarterback and inside linebacker, GM Brian Gutekunst could use his No. 1 pick on a running back, tight end, wide receiver, O-lineman, D-lineman, edge rusher, corner, or safety, and nobody would blink an eye.

The following is a closer look at the needs on offense, from the biggest to the smallest (the number at the end of each positional analysis represents the level of need (8-10 is a top priority; 6-7.9 is a mid-level priority; under 6.0 is a low priority):

🏈WIDE RECEIVER

Going into next week’s draft, no team has less proven talent and depth at wide receiver than Green Bay. That’s hardly the way to break in new starting quarterback Jordan Love. Ideally, Gutekunst will find a way to add a capable veteran between now and the beginning of training camp in August, but that won’t be easy due to a salary cap that’s stretched thinner than the parents of three teenagers. What Gutekunst can do is spend an early-round pick on a wide receiver, preferably one who’ll be able to contribute immediately. While the Packers really like Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, even if both second-year players remain healthy and make sizeable jumps from year 1 to year 2 – a couple of pretty big ifs – Love will still need more weapons on the outside and in the slot. When Aaron Rodgers replaced Brett Favre in 2008, then-GM Ted Thompson surrounded him with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson. That quartet was a big reason why Rodgers played well enough to earn a $66M extension six games into the season. (9.0)

🏈TIGHT END

Why is tight end behind wide receiver? Because an offense can function without a quality player at this position. The Packers won a Super Bowl in 2010 with Donald Lee, Andrew Quarless, and Tom Crabtree starting most of the games. Still, it sure helps to have somebody a lot better than Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis, and Austin Allen, who sit atop the offseason depth chart. Just ask Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Jimmy Garappolo/Brock Purdy, who completed a combined 277 passes to Travis Kelce, Hayden Hurst, Dallas Goedert, and George Kittle, respectively, on their way to last season’s conference championship games. It will be a surprise if Gutekunst doesn’t grab a tight end early in the draft. The problem will be choosing the right one. He’s already missed badly with third-round picks Jace Sternberger (2019) and Deguara (2020). Fortunately, the depth and talent of this class is as good as it’s been in recent years. (8.5)

🏈OFFENSIVE LINE

Green Bay’s offensive line is pretty good, but if the goal is to take pressure off Love by running the ball a lot more in 2023, the guys up front will need to be very good. If healthy, the pricey duo of tackle David Bakhtiari and guard Elgton Jenkins should provide superb play on the left side, but the other three spots aren’t nearly as impressive. Center Josh Myers, right guard Jon Runyan, and right tackle Yosh Nijman have been no better than average the past two seasons. There are a few in-house candidates who could help – led by young Zach Tom – but it sure wouldn’t hurt to select a talented tackle in the early rounds. Since 2011, the Packers have drafted only one player at that position prior to Day 3. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gutekunst jump on Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., or Georgia’s Broderick Jones if any of the three falls to No. 15, which seems possible with four QBs projected to go in the top 10. (7.75)

🏈RUNNING BACK

The Packers don’t currently need another running back, but it would be wise to look ahead. Aaron Jones may agree to another pay cut and return in 2024, but he turns 29 in December, and Father Time is unbeaten. AJ Dillon will be a free agent next March and has proven to be more Robin than Batman three years into his career. The only other players on the depth chart are former undrafted free agents Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson. There’s no need for Gutekunst to spend a high pick on a running back, but he’d be shrewd to select one or two in the middle rounds. That worked out extremely well for Thompson when he grabbed Jones and Jamaal Williams in 2017. The offense didn’t always need an effective ground game to move the ball and score 25-plus points per game with a future first-ballot Hall of Famer at quarterback, but as will be the case with many other things in the post-Rodgers era, that probably won’t be true any longer. (6.5)

🏈QUARTERBACK

This position could be much higher on the list next April, but finding a capable backup for Love is the priority for now. The only other quarterback on the roster is Danny Etling, whom Bill Belichick tried to make a wide receiver a few years ago. Unless the Packers can figure out a way to afford a proven veteran, they’ll have to deal with this need via the draft. Hendon Hooker paid a visit to 1265 Lombardi Ave. last week, but it’s hard to imagine Gutekunst going in that direction. The former Tennessee star is expected to be chosen within the top 50 picks, and he’s still rehabbing from last winter’s torn ACL. Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell, Fresno State’s Jake Haener, Houston’s Clayton Tune, UCLA’s Dorian-Thompson Robinson, TCU’s Max Duggan, and Penn State’s Sean Clifford are much more likely possibilities in the middle rounds. (6.25)

🏈SPECIAL TEAMS

The Packers will almost certainly need to replace kicker Mason Crosby, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find a cheaper punter than Pat O’Donnell, but those positions don’t need to be filled in the draft. Three-quarters of the specialists on NFL rosters last season were signed off the street. That’s a lesson Gutekunst needs to learn. Since being named GM in January 2018, he’s drafted a punter (JK Scott) and a long snapper (Hunter Bradley). Neither player lasted four seasons in Green Bay. Still, with a quartet of picks in the seventh round, if there were ever a spring to draft a specialist, this would be it. (5.75)