Variety is the spice of … this Packers draft class – Green Bay Packers
2025-04-27T03:07:38Z
An unforgettable three days, an intriguing collection of eight players
packers.com editor GREEN BAY – After three days and a whopping 600,000 total visitors to the Lambeau Field campus, the 2025 NFL Draft is one that won’t soon be forgotten around these parts. “I can’t imagine any NFL Draft being better than the one we hosted here,” Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur said shortly after it concluded. “What a great experience.” There’s no arguing that, and only time will tell if Green Bay’s 2025 draft class will be just as memorable. But in the interest of instant analysis, if there’s a theme that ties together this group of selections, the word is variety. It’s the spice of this Packers draft class. By position, here’s a breakdown: Wide receiver The Packers ended their 23-year, first-round receiver drought with a speedster in Matthew Golden (5-11, 191) and then added a powerful, after-catch multi-threat in third-rounder Savion Williams (6-4, 220). Same position, very different players. “I mean, you can’t coach 4.29,” LaFleur said, referring to Golden’s 40 time, adding that the Texas product possesses “elite hands” as well. Williams is no slouch in the speed department either, as LaFleur pointed out his 4.48 time came after just three weeks of training. Even though he’s a bit “unpolished” as a route runner coming out of TCU, his upside is so enticing it will test the creativity of LaFleur and his staff to find different ways to get him the ball, and see what he can do with it. “He’s so big, so powerful, so explosive, and guys (trying to make a tackle) just have a tendency to bounce off of him,” LaFleur said. “I think he’s just scratching the surface of the playmaker he can become.” It’s setting up an ultra-crowded and competitive receiver room, even with Christian Watson’s return from knee rehab still several months away. But that’s viewed as a big plus, despite only so many targets to go around. “You can never have enough weapons around the quarterback,” LaFleur said. “Our guys have got to embrace that competition, and if they attack it the right way, I think collectively we’ll continue to improve.” Defensive line The Packers’ first three picks on Saturday all fall generally into this position group, but they bring various body types and traits to the table. The two edge rushers, fourth-rounder Barryn Sorrell (6-3, 256) from Texas and fifth-rounder Collin Oliver (6-2, 240) from Oklahoma State, certainly aren’t the same. “One guy wins with a lot of power and length and hands,” GM Brian Gutekunst said of Sorrell, before continuing about Oliver. “The other guy’s got some athleticism and speed who’s played on his feet (at linebacker) a little bit.” It seemed intentional on the Packers’ part to add that variety to the pass rush, with LaFleur emphasizing “we needed a little bit more speed” like Oliver brings, while it doesn’t get any better than Sorrell as a culture fit. Everyone from Texas the Packers talked to about Sorrell, including Golden, raved he was “first class,” according to Gutekunst. If they asked any member of the Longhorns whom they’d take with them to start their own team, “They consistently, unanimously pointed to him,” LaFleur said. Sorrell, who came to the draft on his own and serendipitously was drafted by Green Bay, lived up to all that and then some during an emotional news conference with his family in attendance. Add to those two an interior D-lineman in sixth-rounder Warren Brinson (6-5, 315) from Georgia, and that’s yet another type of player up front on defense. LaFleur sees him as a big guy who can do some “dirty work” in place of the departed T.J. Slaton, while Gutekunst believes “he can play up and down the line” and isn’t locked into one position. Offensive line The primary trait the Packers acquired here was size, with 6-6, 335-pound second-round pick Anthony Belton and 6-4, 322-pound seventh-rounder John Williams. That beef comes on the heels of signing 6-5, 325-pound Aaron Banks in free agency to take over at left guard. The variety lies in the draft picks’ positioning, as both played left tackle in college – Belton at N.C. State, Williams at Cincinnati – but are viewed as having the size and skills to play tackle or guard at the next level, and on either side. The additions, particularly a high pick like Belton, are meaningful given how the Packers’ depth up front, which wasn’t really tested in the regular season due to a fortuitous run of good health, didn’t hold up in the playoffs at Philadelphia when veteran Elgton Jenkins was lost early to injury. “In order to combat some of these teams that have elite pass rushes, you better be able to protect the quarterback and run the ball,” LaFleur said. “So I thought to add big guys that can actually move, that’s a big-time positive for us.” Perhaps if the Packers had owned one more pick, or found a way to trade down to acquire an extra one (Gutekunst wanted to, but said worthwhile opportunities just didn’t present themselves), they’d have chosen a second cornerback to join the speedy, sticky seventh-rounder Micah Robinson (5-11, 185) from Tulane and bring yet another skill set to the secondary. That didn’t happen, and it was somewhat surprising given the current depth chart and the uncertainty surrounding Jaire Alexander that the Packers didn’t draft a corner until the final round. But no GM can draft everybody, and Gutekunst is never one to go chasing a specific position of need at the expense of better players who strengthen the roster and locker room. Overall makeup matters, too, because players made of the right stuff have the best chance to succeed. For all the different body types and skill sets the Packers acquired over the past three days, they were intently on the lookout for that intangible as well. “You’ve got to do a lot of digging to find out how much not only do they love the game, but do they need it,” LaFleur said. “I think guys that are genuinely invested and love it, you’re going to get the most out of them.” That’s the type of “need” carrying the most weight. “The guys that just purely need football because it’s part of who they are, is very important to us,” Gutekunst said. “It gives those guys that are that way a leg up when it comes to battling for spots and sticking around.” Packers Draft Central Follow packers.com’s coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft Green Bay has found productive offensive linemen and cornerbacks in final round Edge rusher Collin Oliver, interior lineman Warren Brinson added to the mix Family flanked Packers’ fourth-round pick on emotional draft day Massive crowd outside Lambeau Field roared its approval Mark Murphy’s relentless pursuit secured tentpole offseason event The homework is done, but the draft is still unpredictable Green Bay stars of the past 25 years, along with two Hall of Famers, will be on hand Bus trip wraps up with return to Green Bay 2023 first-round pick eager to get going with new position coach in Year 3 Packers tight end has made himself at home in Green Bay Retiring President/CEO has always looked forward to this week
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