The 2023 NFL Draft is over, and the Green Bay Packers made their first picks of the post-Aaron Rodgers Era. The Packers took 13 players during the draft’s seven rounds and hit some major needs on their roster (after Round 1). Here are the Packers’ NFL draft grades for every pick in this year’s draft.
Green Bay Packers 2023 NFL Draft Grades
Round 1, pick 13: DE Lukas Van Ness (Iowa)
The Packers get an A NFL draft grade for the player and a D for drafting yet another defensive player in the first round. In the last 12 NFL draft first rounds, the Packers have taken exactly one offensive player with Jordan Love. The rest have all been defense, yet the Packers D was 18th in scoring defense last season.
Lukas Van Ness may be a game-changer, ala J.J. Watt. If he’s not, though, and he’s only very good, this is a waste of a first-round pick in a crucial draft. Remember, the Packers don’t have Aaron Rodgers anymore to make the best out of lesser talent on offense.
Grade: C+
Round 2, pick 42: TE Luke Musgrave (Oregon State)
The Packers were connected to TEs throughout the NFL draft process, and while they passed on the top two (Dalton Kincaid, Michael Mayer), they got a player in Luke Musgrave in the second that many had neck-and-neck with those other two. He will be a safety blanket that Joran Love loves and a player who could develop into something special.
Grade: A
Round 2, pick 50: WR Jayden Reed (Michigan State)
Jayden Reed is a Swiss army knife who can do it all. He isn’t necessarily elite at one thing, but you can put him anywhere on the field, and he’ll use his speed to get open. He is also a good kickoff and punt-returner. Reed will fit well with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs from last year’s Packers draft.
Grade: B+
Round 4, pick 78: TE Tucker Kraft (South Dakota State)
Tucker Kraft is big, tough, and faster than he looks. He can become an excellent all-around TE in the NFL. This was a huge position of need for the Packers, and adding Kraft to the Luke Musgrave takes care of the position group in one fell swoop.
Grade: A-
Round 4, pick 116: DL Colby Wooden (Auburn)
The 6-foot-4, 273-pound defensive lineman can line up in a variety of spots for the Packers defense, and that’s valuable. If he can put on a few more pounds without losing explosiveness and play inside, he’ll be a great fit with Lukas Van Ness.
Grade: B+
Round 5, pick 149: QB Sean Clifford (Penn State)
If Sean Clifford, a four-year starter and team captain had Will Levis’ arm, he’d be a top-three pick. He doesn’t, though. So, he’ll probably be a career backup at best.
Grade: B-
Round 5, pick 159: WR Dontayvion Wicks (Virginia)
Dontayvion Wicks has all the traits necessary to be an NFL wideout except he struggles mightily with drops. The Packers dealt with this last year with Christian Watson, and Wicks isn’t as talented as the 2022 second-rounder.
Grade: C
Round 6, pick 179: DT Karl Brooks (Bowling Green)
At 6-foot-3, 303 pounds with serious quickness, Karl Brooks is an interesting prospect. He could be a tweener that never finds a positional home or a versatile lineman who the Packers use creatively and to great effect. That’s not bad for Round 6.
Grade: B+
Round 6, pick 207: K Anders Carlson (Auburn)
Anders Carlson is huge for a kicker (6-foot-5, 218 pounds), and he was inconsistent at Auburn. However, he’s got a big leg, and his brother is Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, so this was worth a sixth-rounder.
Grade: B
Round 7, pick 232: CB Carrington Valentine (Kentucky)
Carrington Valentine has the size to play NFL CB but is overly aggressive, which can lead to getting burned. He has a chance of making the team, though, as the fifth corner.
Grade: B
Round 7, pick 235: RB Lew Nichols III (Central Michigan)
The Central Michigan runner is a solid power back, but that’s about it. Lew Nichols III might be a practice squad stash at best in 2023, with the Packers depth at RB.
Grade: C+
Round 7, pick 242: S Anthony Johnson Jr. (Iowa State)
Anthony Johnson Jr. played cornerback and safety in college and has the skills, size, and speed to do both at the next level as well. He does have some deficiencies, especially as a tackler, but it’s unclear why he dropped this far. Johnson is a great value pick in the seventh.
Grade: A
Round 7, pick 256: WR Grant DuBose (Charlotte)
Grant DuBose is an interesting story. He went to work during COVID-19 instead of enrolling in college. Once the pandemic wound down, he went to Charlotte, and the big man (6-foot-2, 201 pounds) put up big numbers at a small school. This is an excellent late seventh-round lottery ticket.
Grade: B+
Follow Us
Subscribe