Who are the core players for the 2025 Green Bay Packers and beyond? And who can elevate this group?

Who are the core players for the 2025 Green Bay Packers and beyond? And who can elevate this group?

the Green Bay Packers are set up to compete in 2025 but there are still questions about who’s going to be a longterm piece a core member of the Packers moving forward You are Locked on Packers your daily Green Bay Packers podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day [Music] You are locked on Packers part of the Locked On podcast network Your team every day I’m Peter Bowski and I cover the Packers for the Leap a newsletter I would love for you to subscribe to Follow me on Twitter Peter_Bukowski Follow the podcast on Twitter locked on Packers Like us on Facebook subscribe to the podcast iTunes Spotify Google Podcasts Wherever you find podcasts you will find Locked on Packers the number one Packers podcast on the internet And the show for fans who know what happened they want to know why and how Thanks to everyone who makes our show our wonderful show here Locked on Packers uh your first listen every day I hope you like starting your day with us as much as we like starting our day with you I’ve been on vacation I almost forgot the intro to my own show But uh thank you again for everyone making us your first listener We really we really do appreciate it Um as I mentioned uh vacation I hope you have had some time uh this summer at some point I’m actually still uh on vacation as we record this For those of you watching uh you’ll be able to see if you’re not watching on YouTube Like I don’t know You can go do that Like why not you can see that I I actually shaved my face Um but don’t worry you know it’s not not a long-term choice The the leap put together our annual list of the most uh the best players on the Packers uh regardless of positional value our our 90man rosters And we’re not going to spoil it The the first of those are out today But I thought it would be a great place to look at because the way that I did it when I went through my my rankings because it can be a little bit daunting to look at you know 90 players most of whom you’ve heard of but certainly not all Um and and uh if you’re not locked into every little piece of transactional news that comes out you might go I’m sorry that is that a is that a Packers player is is that an actor on on the Bear that I’ve never heard of like what exactly is happening here and so I I said “Okay I’m going to I’m going to just put together this this tier list Okay this is the absolute no doubt core of this team at least this year and and in the short run.” And then I put together okay these are the uh you know the starters the quality starters that that I think are entrenched at least for the moment And then there’s the role players that they either are are just going to be role players this year It’s it’s mostly young players who you’re like okay what is this moving forward have they carved out their role on the team there is this huge list of backups and you know not not core pieces but but developmental type pieces and then there’s the the I don’t want to call them the roster flatsom because that would be you know uncharitable to guys who are making their living doing this but these are players who are either uh undrafted free agents they’re they’re borderline NFL players players who are at the very least unproven and don’t come in with the kind of pedigree and fanfare that some of these other players do almost exclusively that last group And we’re not going to you know dive too deep into that last group but the top group was was the one that I found um clearly the easiest But where to where to hit that cutoff so when we do our rankings we assign everybody a numerical grade But we don’t and maybe we should frankly in future years maybe we should tar it differently We’ve always just created somewhat arbitrary cut offs mostly for ease of not overwhelming everybody with the number of posts that we put out and then to facilitate ties because there’s going to be times when um that that that’s when there’s two people doing something there’s just going to be these um mathematical moments where you’re like okay well it ends up being averaging out to these same numbers and we have to do with two people there’s no way to break the tie there Um I suppose we could have a vote or we could have a third person come in and break the tie But I I wonder if moving forward and I’ll pitch this to Jason um if we if we think about doing this in tiers rather than okay here’s 10 guys here’s 15 guys or or whatever the the numbers end up being in a given post I I felt like that was a useful way to go through this exercise And so we’re going to go through it together in that first tier for me This is this is remember position agnostic So we do not care about positional value for the point for the the purposes of this exercise It is just who are the best players on this team So that tier for me Xavier McKini Jordan Love Josh Jacobs Zack Tom Tucker Craft Elton Jenkins Rashawn Gary Edin Cooper Jaden Reed Kenny Clark That is particularly interesting to me for two players Elton Jenkins and Kenny Clark because those guys might not be on the roster next year So these are core pieces of your team who could potentially become cap casualties in a year This is the whole point of Elton Jenkins hold out right now He’s going “Look I am a core piece I I deserve to be a core piece and I’m worried that I’m going to change positions and you’re going to see dollar signs in a year Go I can save $20 million as the Packers and why you know it’s been fun Elton but but go somewhere else And Kenny Clark has just not been the same player Now he was hurt last year We know that But he’s also a defensive lineman hitting that that age cliff where you know especially for someone as athletic as he was at his physical apex prime he’s just not that guy anymore it doesn’t seem or at least can’t be that guy as regularly anymore So do you have players to come in and replace the pass rush the the ability to um eat double teams and and stop the run as well as create some pass rush even if that has to be two players Um but the thing that made Kenny Clark so good when he was at his best was if on first down you wanted to run the ball he made it just as difficult as if you wanted to throw the ball and those types of players There’s a reason he got a a near a near market contract a near top of market contract for a nose tackle when he did because there just aren’t that many guys that can affect the game in both of those ways There just aren’t most of the um three techniques who dominate the game as pass rushers also dominate the game as penetrating run defenders They are splash run defenders for the most part And then most no tackles just straight up aren’t pass rushers Now there have there have become more and more of these guys Justin Metab and and Dexter Lawrence to name a couple Vita Vea at his prime Um they’re guys who and those guys can move around the front as well And Kenny Clark has moved around the front He’s become more of a three technique And I think part of that has been to save his body But where are they getting that production if not from Kenny Clark moving forward or is is this is there going to be a bounce back here and and that’s a question answered The only borderline name here for me where I was like does he belong here or does he not is Jaden Reid because I have said I believe he is the one young receiver on this team before Matthew Golden and Savon Williams joined that I thought could be or had the best chance of being extended still believe that and and we’ll you know we’ll get to this next group here but is he is he capable of being the kind of player you can funnel your offense through this is still the fundamental question with Jaden Reed Can you funnel your offense through him can you run your offense through him and there have been games when that has been true There have been stretches of games you know months worth of worth of games As we saw at the start of last season even when Malik Willis was the quarterback and in fact and then Malik Willis against the Jaguars when they needed a play they they dialed up something for Jaden Reed He was their zone buster last year I still think if he doesn’t get hurt against the Eagles they have a chance to win that game He was the biggest factor against zone coverages last year And the Packers I think are going to continue to see a ton of man coverage They need someone that can beat man coverage Can Jaden Reid ever be that guy i think Matthew Golden is here I think Savon Williams is here to answer those questions for Jaden Reed So Jaden Reed doesn’t necessarily have to but he is clearly the right now because he he’s stayed mostly healthy the guy that they funnel touches to even though he did not lead the team in targets last year and is when you just need a play a dynamic play he has been the guy to create that for them and there’s value in that to me I think he is the most consistent receiver on this team And I do wonder what a team where you’re Jaden Reed is one of your 10 best players and Jaden Reed is is like maybe not in the top 25 receivers in the NFL I continue to wonder about the construction of a roster and and the upside of a roster that looks like that Now as we’ll see this roster is extremely deep and that is ultimately what the Packers are going to have to hang their head on They’re going to have to get some high-end production in here somewhere Can they get it from this next group of players we’ll talk about them in a second here on Locked on Packers Ever wish managing your money felt easier with Monarch Money it can Whether you’re growing your savings or planning a big purchase Monarch puts you in the driver’s seat It’s like having your own personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances Monarch Money is more than a budgeting app It’s a complete financial command center You can track all of your accounts investments and spending in one place So in addition to managing your money you’re also building wealth If you share finances with someone it is useful to be able to put all that stuff in one place for everyone to see everything and to have some visibility to have some transparency on what’s happening there It just makes it so much easier Take control of your finances with Monarch Money Use code locked on NFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year That’s monarchoney.com code lockdown NFL for half off your first year This next group of players to me is going to decide the outcome of the Green Bay Packers season I I I think the the best players on the team like Xavier McKini allp pro Josh Jacobs one of the four or five best running backs in the league last year I think he was one of the three best running backs in the league last year Jordan Love look we’re going to talk about Jordan Love later in the week but he is one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the league I think Zack Tom Tucker Craft those guys can be difference makers We’ve seen it This is the this is the group of guys where you go okay what can you get from this group these are your no doubt these guys are going to contribute in a meaningful way to your team this year assuming they are healthy and assuming they don’t get traded in one case Nate Hobbs at the top of this list and Evan Williams Then I have the three receivers Christian Watson Dontavian Wix and Romeo Doss I I think Watson would be higher based purely on talent The injury is going to be the question mark here The availability is going to be the question mark here Watson dos Wix Can any of them take a step forward here and and they’re all right now They have to be ahead of Matthew Golden We just don’t know what Matthew Golden is going to be They used the Packers used a first first round pick on Matthew Golden precisely because they did not think this group was good enough But we do not have any evidence at this moment as we stand here today in late June that Golden is going to be any better We’ll get to to Matthew Golden and his place on this list in a second So those three receivers now again Romeo Dobs down Wix Do they make it all the way through training camp if Matthew Golden is the player the Packers hope he can be well then maybe not But he’s still a good player Like if you think about the the rankings on this list right we’re talking about the 11th through 21st That’s this tier Well that’s you have 22 starters Now I have a kicker in here so I guess it’s 23 But knowing you’re one through 21 and and feeling locked in about that that’s a that’s a really good place to be That’s a really good place to be And and the one of the the one starter who I think is not here uh is Aaron Banks I guess Lucas Vaness is also in the next tier if you believe he’s going to be a starter So um there are some backups because I do have four total receivers already listed here So you know we have to we have to massage the numbers a little bit So then I have So I have those three group th those three receivers Devonte Wyatt is next He’s the guy to me defensively We talked about this a week or two ago Um that if he stays healthy can be your Kenny Clark insurance can be the guy where you go well we don’t we don’t we don’t have to have Kenny Clark have the kind of season we’re used to seeing him have because you have someone as talented as Dvonte Wyatt rushing the passer And two years ago he was he was a better more consistent pass rusher but last year when we saw the Flashes his talent when he gets it cranked up is impressive and he has made improvements I did not think when he was coming out of Georgia there was enough there in terms of polish in terms of what was in his pass rush bag he has expanded that I thought 24-y old player how much how much more physical upside is there for him and at that point it’s a question of work ethic are you going to work why at 24 do you not have a better array of pass rush moves why are you still relying solely on your athleticism But he has he has clearly put in the work and has been coached the right way in the NFL and and maybe that means the right offseason work as well That that certainly is is in play here A lot of the technique work and pass rush work that that gets done gets done with you know professional pass rush coaches like Eddie McGill who’s been on this program before now um at Sacramento State but has worked with guys like Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt to help them in the offseason refine their skills This group of players again is going to determine the season I have Brandon McManis here then Rasheed Walker Keshan Nixon Javon Buller Jordan Morgan If this group of players are as good as they can be as good as the Packers think they can be Nate Hobbs Evan Williams the three receivers after Jaden Reed Devonte Wyatt Rasheed Walker who’s probably going to be the starting left tackle I still believe that Keshan Nixon So that’s your this is your starting secondary Keshan Nixon Javon Bullard Nate Hobbs and then Jordan Morgan Wherever he slots in I I think they are going to bend over backwards to make sure Jordan Morgan is in the starting lineup The only reason you’re going to give him a chance to start in multiple places is because you believe in his ability that much and you’re going to give him every opportunity to prove that Now this is the interesting thing to me here about about this group because the next group informs this set of choices So I just went through I I suppose 20 of the 22 starters on this team They’re my my 22 through 37 are all players who could contribute meaningfully to this team And if they played you’d go “Cool Great.” Um and I I guess if we’re I have if I’m if I’m doing the math right here I think we must have only gotten to 19 um based on ba based on uh the numbers that we have left here because this next group is Brentton Cox Aaron Banks who’s a starter Matthew Golden Quay Walker who’s a starter Shawn Ryan Carrington Valentine Malik Willis definitely not a starter Lucas Vaness who’s a starter or probably going to start Carl Brooks Anthony Belton Luke Musgrave Daniel Wland punter but we don’t count him Kingsley Bar Marshon Lloyd Matt Orzick long snapper Savon Williams All of those guys are going to play And all of those guys are varying degrees of like I’m happy to see that guy out there That’s 37 players 35 34 position players So three special teamamers in there Which by the way isn’t it refreshing that your special teamers are in there you go 34 deep it’s a 53man roster You only can play 22 That is that is the superpower of this team if it has one It is built to withstand a normal or even higher than normal amount of attrition in in a season And attrition is just the reality Now usually you get to the end of the season and you look up at the the team that’s winning the Super Bowl it’s the team that stayed the healthiest The Philadelphia Eagles last year in addition to having the most talented roster in the NFL did stay incredibly healthy over the course of the season So you you do need some of that but you also need a roster that is built And the Chiefs have done a great job of this They’re just like whoever else we can throw in there we can throw in there and we’ll figure this out because they’re really well coached And that has been the Packers over the last few years in the Matt Laflur era they have been able to make it work and their their scouting staff has done such a tremendous job going out and finding the Devandre Campbell and the Russell Douglas’s of the world to add to your team mid-season and and for the rest of um you know a potentially long-term partnership I mean they ended up signing both Russell Douglas and Devandre Campbell It worked out in the case of Russell Douglas They ended up getting compensation for him in addition to the quality play from him And then you know you you get the fall off the injuries from Devandre Campbell the crash out on the way out the door uh all those things but he was instrumental in a 13- win season and a chance to go compete for a Super Bowl in 2021 There’s just no doubt about that So you’ve built this team now with just you know almost ridiculous levels of depth and and that is is incredibly beneficial right like that there’s there’s just no way around thinking that that’s really good for your football team to have those levels of depth to feel like hey all of these guys here 1 through 37 have a chance to help your team and then there’s there’s I haven’t even mentioned Isaiah McDuffy who might be a you know a base linebacker in 4-3 Isaiah Simmons um who’s you know that there’s this next tier of players some of whom I think are going to have to are going to have to take a jump or risk being on the on the chopping block We’ll talk about that group of players and and the rest of this team because there’s still some some fun names to get into here That’s next Unlocked on Packers There’s really only one tier of players left when it comes to the actual roster because you can only have 53 you’ve got your practice squad and that actually works out perfectly in this case because from 38 to 64 you know you get your your 10 guys on the practice squad So that this is basically your roster then and it’s it’s more or less the names you know Isaiah McDuffy Isaiah Simmons Micole Hardman Baron Sell I don’t make the team Emanuel Wilson Bo Melton Chris Brooks Malik Keith Zay Anderson Kamal Haden Donovan Jennings Caitlin King Sean Crosby or Sean Clifford Aaron Mosby Tyron Hopper O day three pick or third round pick Not great Not great Kon Aldapo that’s 53 And then there’s this group of players that I still think have a very good chance to make this roster Ben Sims Nazir Stackhouse as a defensive tackle and drafted free agent Kobe Wooden who like been a rotational defensive lineman on this team Colin Oliver who’s an intriguing pass rusher Kadim Telfort who had to play in a playoff game last year Christian Welch Travis Glover who had to play in a playoff game last year Jacob Monk John Williams seventh round pick Warren Brinson sixth round pick Michael Robinson day three pick That’s your roster And you I mean you at least know the names of all of those guys Isaiah McDuffy has had to play real snaps for the Packers Isaiah Simmons was a former top 10 pick a starter on a number of defenses Moco Hartman was a starter really in in 11 personnel on a a multi-time Super Bowl champ and was making plays in the spring Baron Serell a a much balihood fourthround pick He’s down here in the 40s Emanuel Wilson is is probably their third running back and Chris Brooks is their fourth running back They seem comfortably on this team Bo Melton two years ago they were running plays for him in a playoff game Now they’re trying him at corner I still think he’s on this team Like you yes I think you can point to the corner move and I think more was made of that than than we really needed to but they’re trying to find ways to keep him on the team They would like him to be around That’s the kind of depth that this team has Zayn Anderson had to start games for the Packers Had to play had to play meaningful snaps Kamal Haden might have to at some point play real snaps for the Packers I still have a lot of hope and and faith in Donovan Jennings to develop into something as an interior offensive lineman Maybe we did we did a segment what two weeks ago about how he might be the center of the future They got they gave him some center reps reps and that that turned my brain I was oh that’s interesting What if he he’s the developmental guy everyone really likes has the tools has the size experience in college been banged up in the NFL but could he be if you’re eventually going to move on from Melton Jenkins whether it’s this offseason or next could he be the future of that position aaron Mosby played reps as a pass rusher made some plays last year as a pass rusher He’s 51 on my list 51 now Oh he’s a borderline roster player But then guys after him Tyron Hopper I don’t think he’s allowed to make this team Kon Aldapo I don’t think he’s allowed to make this team Ben Sims they’re running plays for Ben Sims in the low red zone last year Don’t think he’s allowed to make this team Nir Stackhouse is is I have him ahead of Warren Brinson just because from a a draft pedigree standpoint he was considered to be the better player even though the Packers don’t think that Colin Oliver I wanted to put higher on this list Frankly I don’t think Kadine Telford is a lock to make this roster He just played in the playoff game for the Packers Now backup but he was he was playing Travis Glover He’s 60th on my list Just had to play in a playoff game These guys are going to have to are going to have to get opportunities here at some point like they’re the numbers o over the course of an NFL season say they’re just going to have to have a chance They’re just going to get a chance to play because this is a violent brutal sport It’s just the reality of of of the game And we haven’t even mentioned some guys further down the list Guys like Gregory Jr who was getting some run with the ones in the spring Jonathan Baldwin an undrafted free agent who they they paid real money to John Fitzpatrick who played last year for the Packers Misiah Swasinson who was part of the um the the UDFA perspectus I think two years ago now Julian Hicks who’s a player that I like may get an opportunity may not Taylor Elgresma the the Canadian quarterback I I think he’s like a guarantee for your practice squad if he if he can make it there Sam Brown Jr who’s in to me an intriguing receiver prospect for the Packers is probably going to be a practice squad player This is a this is a lot of guys And this is why I go back to whether it is a receiver or or a different position It really does feel like and I know it doesn’t happen in the NFL the way it does in the NBA but it feels like there’s too many guys vying for these spots And I know that I I I’m always the one on this show saying you never really have too many guys but I think part of the thing about this Packers roster in particular is that you look I mean we just did this exercise from number 11 through like 38 How big a difference this we talk about this like with the draft right what is the difference between the 15th best player in this draft and the 45th best player in this draft packers roster is kind of like that Like how different is the 12th best player on the Packers versus the 30th best player on the Packers the drop off from starter to backup on most teams is enormous I think the Packers have to feel like they’ve got 15 starters on both sides of the ball Well that’s a really good place to be but then guys want to play guys get hurt and then they have to play But this comes back to the question about do you have enough true difference makers and do you need to go find one if you don’t it’s a little late in the game for that So then where is it going to come from if it’s going to come from somewhere and that’s why I feel like that list that I gave in in in in the last segment if Evan Williams turns into you know the the high-end Adrien Amos outcome for the Eddie Jackson Xavier McKini comp that that Vic Fangio Bears like just he’s a a differencemaker but just absolutely always in the right position makes every tackle makes every play Early Packers Adrian Amos that guy who’s like a Pro Bowl kind of caliber player That’s what you need Or you need Dantavian Wixs to realize the full potential of his ability as a separator that turned into making plays on the ball which is your job as a receiver Can Devonte Wyatt take that step former first round pick The talent man the physical tools are incredible But can you put it together can you stay healthy javon Bullard you’re focusing on one position now you are the nickel and not even the nickel all the time because I I still think Nate Hobbs in certain situations I think on third and eight if Justin Jefferson’s going to be in the slot if you’re going to play man coverage you may want Nate Hobbs there instead of Javon Bullard but I think the talent for Javon Bullard is there I think Jordan Morgan if you can solidify that right guard spot so that Rasheed Walker can take that left tackle spot so that Elton Jenkins can be that no doubt center You’ve you’ve elevated you’ve force multiplied the offense If Nate Hobbs can take even a step forward I mean the I remember he was one of the highest graded corners in the league as a rookie And by the way was a Packers type without question coming out of uh college was someone I thought they would target in the draft and was kind of frankly surprised they didn’t I think there’s still potential in there for him He’s got to stay healthy and I think this is a defense Jeff Hafley that can unlock him if you get the Hey I’m actually one of the like 12 or 14 best corners in the league now Well you’ve you’ve elevated this team and that’s that’s what this team needs right now All right back this week Um we’re going to be back Wednesday Um and we’re going to do a Monday Wednesday Friday with the holiday this week and then back to a normal schedule the following week where we’re back to five maybe four sprinkled in there but but five days a week as we because look once we get into July it’s it’s practically training camp So July’s you know five minutes from now and then 10 minutes after that it’s it’s uh it’s training camp So we’re going to have a lot a lot to talk about as we move forward here through July Follow me on Twitter peter_bakowski Um that’s also where you can find me on Instagram Um check out everything we’re doing on our social media channels with Locked on Packers um all around the internet Go subscribe over on our YouTube page Subscribe wherever you find podcasts so you can stay locked on Packers

The Green Bay Packers will content in 2025, but who are the players expected to be essential this year and for years to come? Plus, who are the players who, with a little growth and development, can take this team to the next level?

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Peter Bukowski, co-founder of The Leap, brings you a daily look at the Green Bay Packers year round with Locked On Packers! Go beyond the latest injury news into what you’re seeing on the field, how it works, and how it might change with new players or against a division rival. It’s the podcast for fans who know what happened, they want to know why and how!

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